Think-Aloud: Effect on Adolescent Deaf Students’ Use of Reading Comprehension Strategies

This study examined the effect of explicit instruction of reading comprehension strategies, such as identification of unknown vocabulary and relating text to background knowledge, on four deaf and hard of hearing students' use of strategies and reading comprehension performance pre- and post-intervention. Explicit instruction of strategies consisted of discussion of targeted strategies and think-aloud (verbalizing one's thought processes while reading) to model strategies. The data presented is from a more in-depth study completed during the 2017-2018 academic year. Few studies have implemented think-aloud in evaluating deaf adolescents' reading challenges and the efficacy of strategy use. This study provided insight into both of these issues. Results show an increase in the variety of strategies used by students and frequency of strategy use post-intervention. Results also indicate improved comprehension scores for two students. Close examination of the data, however, reveals ongoing metacognitive challenges (such as lack of consistent identification of key unknown words and lack of awareness of comprehension breakdowns) and inconsistency in the efficacious use of strategies. Findings indicate a need for ongoing assessment of the depth and efficacy of strategy use and individualized instruction.