Document Type

Honors Thesis

Publication Date

Spring 5-2018

Abstract

Both parental decision-making and the choice of language modality for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) children have been studied. In investigating the two subjects in conjunction with a bilingual bimodal (bi-bi) program, however, there is an apparent lack of research. A preschool program featuring bi-bi in Maine, named the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MECDHH), prides itself on the fact that parents determine their child’s primary language upon enrollment. Although many bi-bi programs exist worldwide, the MECDHH program is unique in that the preschoolers are separated into two different classrooms: one featuring solely orally expressed English instruction, and the other featuring strictly ASL instruction. In the present study, a survey was distributed to parents of MECDHH’s preschool program asking them to identify the various factors that had the greatest impact on the educational decisions for their child. The study found that the most important factors involved in decision-making for this group of parents included “future goals for my child” “my child’s hearing status”, and “professional advice”.

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