Kimberly Wolbers
Biographic Data
| ID | 3531091 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kimberly Wolbers |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kimberly |
| FAMILY NAME | Wolbers |
| SIGNATURE | WOLBERS K |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Tennessee at Knoxville |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4992-0508 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 3 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 23 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
A qualitative analysis of deaf secondary writers’ strengths and needs
This qualitative study examines the narrative and argumentative writing of 75 deaf high school students from the United States through thematic analysis. Writing samples were evaluated on six traits: idea development, organization, style, sentence fluency, word choice, and conventions. A representative set of 85 samples was selected to reflect a range of writing quality, including both low- and high-scoring pieces, to capture the diversity of str…
Assessing Online Writing Professional Development with Video-Based Simulations
Persistent disparities in literacy outcomes affect deaf learners, who may experience writing instruction that does not align with their linguistic contexts. This study examined how teachers’ instructional reasoning about writing developed during participation in an online Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) professional development (PD) program. Nineteen teachers of deaf students completed a 30-hour virtual PD that combined async…
Writing outcomes and expressive language use of deaf high school students
This study explores the writing performance of deaf high school students, focusing on narrative, argumentative, and argumentative-with-sources genres, and examining the role of expressive language proficiency and early language exposure. Using a descriptive research design, the writing samples of 75 students were scored for idea development, organization, style, sentence fluency, word choice, and conventions using automated scoring. Results revea…
Developing expressive language skills of deaf students through specialized writing instruction
Writing is an essential element of literacy development, and language plays a central role in the composing process, including developing, organizing, and refining ideas. Language and writing are interconnected, making it paramount for educators to attend to the development of deaf students’ language skills. In this quasi-experimental study, we examined the impact of strategic and interactive pedagogical approaches, namely Strategic and Interacti…
Strategic and interactive writing instruction
There is a lack of evidence-based, culturally relevant instructional approaches, especially in writing instruction, that are designed to meet deaf and hard of hearing students’ (hereafter referred to as deaf students) diverse language needs. While some deaf students may not have had rich exposure to interactions in a fully accessible language in their early years, others may have an abundance of multilingual and multimodal communication tools the…
Writing instruction with grade-level/college-bound secondary deaf students
In the current study, we used a sequential explanatory design to examine secondary writing instruction for deaf students in various school settings. An examination of secondary writing instruction was carried out in two cycles using a survey and subsequent focus group discussions. The first cycle (n = 222) presented an overview of secondary writing instruction for deaf students with diverse skill levels. The second cycle (n = 18) focused on writi…
A comparative study of how teachers communicate in deaf education classrooms
This study investigates the communication practices of four teachers in 3rd to 6th grade classrooms with 9 deaf students with limited language proficiency and in stages of emergent writing development. Analyzing language modalities, utterance types, and class interactivity, we found that teachers using American sign language used student-centered approaches, generating a greater number of directives and responsive utterances. They persevered in i…
Teacher Reports of Secondary Writing Instruction with Deaf Students
Since students’ writing skills are largely shaped by the quality of instruction they receive, we can learn from what teachers report about their beliefs and approaches to the teaching and learning of writing. This study explores the state of writing instruction at secondary levels with deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students through a mixed-methods approach using a sequential explanatory design. Two hundred and twenty-two teachers responded to a …
Characteristics of deaf emergent writers who experienced language deprivation
This study explores the intertwined phenomena of language deprivation, emergent writing, and translanguaging in deaf students without additional disabilities in grades 3–6. A case study was conducted using deductive and inductive approaches to analyze 42 writing samples. There were four areas of focus: (1) stages of emergent writing development, (2) writing change over time, (3) emerging writing and translanguaging features, and (4) writing featu…
Translanguaging Framework for Deaf Education
In this conceptual article, the authors introduce the Translanguaging Framework for Deaf Education (TFDE), drawing upon two perspectives on language and learning: crip linguistics and critical translanguaging space. The TFDE is a retheorization of the Language Zone, a pedagogical framework for supporting language learning in deaf education, and is designed to support educators to approach language use and users from an asset-oriented perspective.…
Transfer of writing skills across genres among deaf and hard of hearing elementary writers
Thirty-seven deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students in grades four through six participated in a year of Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction, an approach to writing instruction designed to be responsive to DHH students’ unique language experiences and profiles. The current study investigated the transfer of writing skills between genres by analyzing participants’ recount, information report, and persuasive writing samples at four time …
Does Teacher Self-Efficacy Predict Writing Practices of Teachers of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students
Forty-four elementary grade teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students were surveyed about how they taught writing and their beliefs about writing. Beliefs about writing included their self-efficacy to teach writing, attitude toward writing, and epistemological beliefs about writing. These teachers from fifteen different states in the United States slightly agreed that they were efficacious writing teachers and they were slightly positive abou…
Effects of ASL Rhyme and Rhythm on Deaf Children’s Engagement Behavior and Accuracy in Recitation: Evidence from a Single Case Design
Early language acquisition is critical for lifelong success in language, literacy, and academic studies. There is much to explore about the specific techniques used to foster deaf children's language development. The use of rhyme and rhythm in American Sign Language (ASL) remains understudied. This single-subject study compared the effects of rhyming and non-rhyming ASL stories on the engagement behavior and accuracy in recitation of five deaf ch…
Written Language Outcomes of Deaf Elementary Students Engaged in Authentic Writing
This study explores the impact of Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) on six students’ written language skills through the application of a multiple-baseline probe single case design with embedded condition. This was part of a larger Institute of Education Sciences (IES)-funded project focused on the development and feasibility of implementation of SIWI. For the majority of skills analyzed, there were improvements in the mean lev…
The Assessment of Written Phrasal Constructs and Grammar of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students with Varying Expressive Language Abilities
The purpose of this study was to examine the written phrasal constructs and grammar usage of deaf and hard of hearing students with varying expressive language skills. Twenty-nine d/hh middle school students attending a residential school for the deaf were divided into three language groups: students using spoken English, ASL/English bilinguals, and language delayed learners. Personal narrative writing samples were collected at the beginning, mid…
The Writing Performance of Elementary Students Receiving Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction
Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) has led to improved writing and language outcomes among deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) middle grades students. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of SIWI on the written expression of DHH elementary students across recount/personal narrative, information report, and persuasive genres. Five multiple-probe case studies demonstrate a relationship between implementation of SIWI and…
A description of ASL features in writing
Similar to second language students who embed features of their primary languages in the writing of their second languages, deaf and hard of hearing (d/hh) writers utilize features of American Sign Language (ASL) in their writing of English. The purpose of this study is to identify categories of language transfer, provide the prevalence of these transfer tendencies in the writings of 29 d/hh adolescents and describe whether language features are …
Deaf writers' application of American Sign Language knowledge to English
Language transfer theory elucidates how first language (L1) knowledge and grammatical features are applied in second language (L2) writing. Deaf and hard of hearing (d/hh) students who use or are developing American Sign Language (ASL) as their L1 may demonstrate the use of ASL linguistic features in their writing of English. In this study, we investigated the extent to which 29 d/hh students in Grades 6–8 (mean age=13.2) with diverse ASL exposur…
"I Was Born Full Deaf." Written Language Outcomes After 1 Year of Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction
Nonstandard grammatical forms are often present in the writing of deaf students that are rarely, if ever, seen in the writing of hearing students. With the implementation of Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) in previous studies, students have demonstrated significant gains in high-level writing skills (e.g., text structure) but have also made gains with English grammar skills. This 1-year study expands on prior research by long…
Second Language Writing: Theorizing in Instructional Research P–12
An Exploratory Study of Reading in Urban and Suburban Middle Schools: Implications for At-Risk and Special Education Learners
Fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, school achievement remains segregated by both race and class. Despite an emphasis on reading achievement as required by No Child Left Behind, many students have serious literacy needs, even into the middle and upper grades. The purpose of this study was to ascertain ways in which middle school reading instruction is coordinated to improve academic outcomes for at-risk students. In-depth interviews we…
Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (Siwi): Apprenticing Deaf Students in the Construction of English text
This study investigates the effects of using Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) with deaf, middle school students who use American Sign Language as their L1 and written English as L2. Using a pretest-posttest control group design, the research explores whether students receiving SIWI made significantly greater gains compared to those not receiving SIWI on a number of variables. There were 33 total students, 16 in the treatment g…
Using Balanced and Interactive Writing Instruction to Improve the Higher Order and Lower Order Writing Skills of Deaf Students
This article reports the findings of balanced and interactive writing instruction used with 16 deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Although the instruction has been used previously, this was the first time it had been modified to suit the specific needs of deaf children and the first time it had been implemented with this subpopulation of students. The intervention took place in two elementary classrooms (N = 8) and one middle school classroom (N …
Translanguaging Framework for Deaf Education
In this conceptual article, the authors introduce the Translanguaging Framework for Deaf Education (TFDE), drawing upon two perspectives on language and learning: crip linguistics and critical translanguaging space. The TFDE is a retheorization of the Language Zone, a pedagogical framework for supporting language learning in deaf education, and is designed to support educators to approach language use and users from an asset-oriented perspective.…
Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (Siwi): Apprenticing Deaf Students in the Construction of English text
This study investigates the effects of using Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) with deaf, middle school students who use American Sign Language as their L1 and written English as L2. Using a pretest-posttest control group design, the research explores whether students receiving SIWI made significantly greater gains compared to those not receiving SIWI on a number of variables. There were 33 total students, 16 in the treatment g…
Using Balanced and Interactive Writing Instruction to Improve the Higher Order and Lower Order Writing Skills of Deaf Students
This article reports the findings of balanced and interactive writing instruction used with 16 deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Although the instruction has been used previously, this was the first time it had been modified to suit the specific needs of deaf children and the first time it had been implemented with this subpopulation of students. The intervention took place in two elementary classrooms (N = 8) and one middle school classroom (N …
An Exploratory Study of Reading in Urban and Suburban Middle Schools: Implications for At-Risk and Special Education Learners
Fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, school achievement remains segregated by both race and class. Despite an emphasis on reading achievement as required by No Child Left Behind, many students have serious literacy needs, even into the middle and upper grades. The purpose of this study was to ascertain ways in which middle school reading instruction is coordinated to improve academic outcomes for at-risk students. In-depth interviews we…
"I Was Born Full Deaf." Written Language Outcomes After 1 Year of Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction
Nonstandard grammatical forms are often present in the writing of deaf students that are rarely, if ever, seen in the writing of hearing students. With the implementation of Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) in previous studies, students have demonstrated significant gains in high-level writing skills (e.g., text structure) but have also made gains with English grammar skills. This 1-year study expands on prior research by long…
Second Language Writing: Theorizing in Instructional Research P–12
A description of ASL features in writing
Similar to second language students who embed features of their primary languages in the writing of their second languages, deaf and hard of hearing (d/hh) writers utilize features of American Sign Language (ASL) in their writing of English. The purpose of this study is to identify categories of language transfer, provide the prevalence of these transfer tendencies in the writings of 29 d/hh adolescents and describe whether language features are …
Deaf writers' application of American Sign Language knowledge to English
Language transfer theory elucidates how first language (L1) knowledge and grammatical features are applied in second language (L2) writing. Deaf and hard of hearing (d/hh) students who use or are developing American Sign Language (ASL) as their L1 may demonstrate the use of ASL linguistic features in their writing of English. In this study, we investigated the extent to which 29 d/hh students in Grades 6–8 (mean age=13.2) with diverse ASL exposur…
The Writing Performance of Elementary Students Receiving Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction
Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) has led to improved writing and language outcomes among deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) middle grades students. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of SIWI on the written expression of DHH elementary students across recount/personal narrative, information report, and persuasive genres. Five multiple-probe case studies demonstrate a relationship between implementation of SIWI and…
The Assessment of Written Phrasal Constructs and Grammar of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students with Varying Expressive Language Abilities
The purpose of this study was to examine the written phrasal constructs and grammar usage of deaf and hard of hearing students with varying expressive language skills. Twenty-nine d/hh middle school students attending a residential school for the deaf were divided into three language groups: students using spoken English, ASL/English bilinguals, and language delayed learners. Personal narrative writing samples were collected at the beginning, mid…
Effects of ASL Rhyme and Rhythm on Deaf Children’s Engagement Behavior and Accuracy in Recitation: Evidence from a Single Case Design
Early language acquisition is critical for lifelong success in language, literacy, and academic studies. There is much to explore about the specific techniques used to foster deaf children's language development. The use of rhyme and rhythm in American Sign Language (ASL) remains understudied. This single-subject study compared the effects of rhyming and non-rhyming ASL stories on the engagement behavior and accuracy in recitation of five deaf ch…
Written Language Outcomes of Deaf Elementary Students Engaged in Authentic Writing
This study explores the impact of Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) on six students’ written language skills through the application of a multiple-baseline probe single case design with embedded condition. This was part of a larger Institute of Education Sciences (IES)-funded project focused on the development and feasibility of implementation of SIWI. For the majority of skills analyzed, there were improvements in the mean lev…
Transfer of writing skills across genres among deaf and hard of hearing elementary writers
Thirty-seven deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students in grades four through six participated in a year of Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction, an approach to writing instruction designed to be responsive to DHH students’ unique language experiences and profiles. The current study investigated the transfer of writing skills between genres by analyzing participants’ recount, information report, and persuasive writing samples at four time …
Does Teacher Self-Efficacy Predict Writing Practices of Teachers of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students
Forty-four elementary grade teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students were surveyed about how they taught writing and their beliefs about writing. Beliefs about writing included their self-efficacy to teach writing, attitude toward writing, and epistemological beliefs about writing. These teachers from fifteen different states in the United States slightly agreed that they were efficacious writing teachers and they were slightly positive abou…
Teacher Reports of Secondary Writing Instruction with Deaf Students
Since students’ writing skills are largely shaped by the quality of instruction they receive, we can learn from what teachers report about their beliefs and approaches to the teaching and learning of writing. This study explores the state of writing instruction at secondary levels with deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students through a mixed-methods approach using a sequential explanatory design. Two hundred and twenty-two teachers responded to a …
Characteristics of deaf emergent writers who experienced language deprivation
This study explores the intertwined phenomena of language deprivation, emergent writing, and translanguaging in deaf students without additional disabilities in grades 3–6. A case study was conducted using deductive and inductive approaches to analyze 42 writing samples. There were four areas of focus: (1) stages of emergent writing development, (2) writing change over time, (3) emerging writing and translanguaging features, and (4) writing featu…
Translanguaging Framework for Deaf Education
In this conceptual article, the authors introduce the Translanguaging Framework for Deaf Education (TFDE), drawing upon two perspectives on language and learning: crip linguistics and critical translanguaging space. The TFDE is a retheorization of the Language Zone, a pedagogical framework for supporting language learning in deaf education, and is designed to support educators to approach language use and users from an asset-oriented perspective.…
Developing expressive language skills of deaf students through specialized writing instruction
Writing is an essential element of literacy development, and language plays a central role in the composing process, including developing, organizing, and refining ideas. Language and writing are interconnected, making it paramount for educators to attend to the development of deaf students’ language skills. In this quasi-experimental study, we examined the impact of strategic and interactive pedagogical approaches, namely Strategic and Interacti…
Strategic and interactive writing instruction
There is a lack of evidence-based, culturally relevant instructional approaches, especially in writing instruction, that are designed to meet deaf and hard of hearing students’ (hereafter referred to as deaf students) diverse language needs. While some deaf students may not have had rich exposure to interactions in a fully accessible language in their early years, others may have an abundance of multilingual and multimodal communication tools the…
Writing instruction with grade-level/college-bound secondary deaf students
In the current study, we used a sequential explanatory design to examine secondary writing instruction for deaf students in various school settings. An examination of secondary writing instruction was carried out in two cycles using a survey and subsequent focus group discussions. The first cycle (n = 222) presented an overview of secondary writing instruction for deaf students with diverse skill levels. The second cycle (n = 18) focused on writi…
A comparative study of how teachers communicate in deaf education classrooms
This study investigates the communication practices of four teachers in 3rd to 6th grade classrooms with 9 deaf students with limited language proficiency and in stages of emergent writing development. Analyzing language modalities, utterance types, and class interactivity, we found that teachers using American sign language used student-centered approaches, generating a greater number of directives and responsive utterances. They persevered in i…
Writing outcomes and expressive language use of deaf high school students
This study explores the writing performance of deaf high school students, focusing on narrative, argumentative, and argumentative-with-sources genres, and examining the role of expressive language proficiency and early language exposure. Using a descriptive research design, the writing samples of 75 students were scored for idea development, organization, style, sentence fluency, word choice, and conventions using automated scoring. Results revea…
A qualitative analysis of deaf secondary writers’ strengths and needs
This qualitative study examines the narrative and argumentative writing of 75 deaf high school students from the United States through thematic analysis. Writing samples were evaluated on six traits: idea development, organization, style, sentence fluency, word choice, and conventions. A representative set of 85 samples was selected to reflect a range of writing quality, including both low- and high-scoring pieces, to capture the diversity of str…
Assessing Online Writing Professional Development with Video-Based Simulations
Persistent disparities in literacy outcomes affect deaf learners, who may experience writing instruction that does not align with their linguistic contexts. This study examined how teachers’ instructional reasoning about writing developed during participation in an online Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) professional development (PD) program. Nineteen teachers of deaf students completed a 30-hour virtual PD that combined async…
Hearing Impairment and Communication (20 works) · Psychology (20 works) · Linguistics (18 works) · Pedagogy (15 works) · Mathematics education (14 works) · Writing and Handwriting Education (12 works) · Sign language (11 works) · Deaf education (10 works) · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning (8 works) · American Sign Language (7 works)