A qualitative analysis of deaf secondary writers’ strengths and needs
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22965373 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kimberly Wolbers (0000-0002-4992-0508, University of Tennessee at Knoxville), Hannah M Dostal (0000-0003-3430-3141, University of Connecticut, corresponding author), Kelsey Spurgin (0000-0001-8527-5967, Ball State University), Elizabeth Martinez (0000-0001-6592-347X, University of Tennessee at Knoxville), E C Martinez (0000-0002-3923-2322, Tennessee Department of Education) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-06 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1081-4159 • E-ISSN: 1465-7325 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/jdsade/enag013 |
| PMID | 42090125 |
| OpenAlex | W7160404980 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 94 |
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 strengths and needs. Findings revealed outcomes ranging from emerging writing skills to genre-specific writing aligned with grade-level expectations. Lower-scoring responses were often brief, loosely organized, and contained unfinished or unidentifiable words with limited sentence variety. In contrast, higher-scoring samples demonstrated clearer purpose and organization, evidence of knowledge-transforming strategies, and stronger control of sentence structure, using varied sentence types to promote fluency of expression. The study underscores the need for adaptable writing instruction that addresses a range of writing needs present in secondary classrooms.
Argumentative · Fluency · Narrative · Qualitative analysis · Qualitative research · Sentence · Set (abstract data type) · Thematic analysis · Hearing Impairment and Communication · Reading and Literacy Development · Writing and Handwriting Education
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |