Letter Sound Awareness among Grade One and Two Pupils with Hard of Hearing Impairment in Selected Schools in Lusaka District, Zambia

This is an extract from a PhD thesis based on one of the objectives which sought to investigate the predictive role of oral language in phonemic/phonics development in pupils with hearing impairment in grades one and two in Lusaka Zambia. Since the study opted to assess all the children in their respective grades ex post facto research design was used. Five schools took part in the study. The sample comprised 60 pupils of which 31 were girls and 29 were boys. Pupils were tested individually at the end of grade one and two using the Basic Skills Assessment Tool (BASAT), Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (OPVT). Bivariate correlations were computed to analyse data. Results revealed that pupils with hard of hearing displayed insufficient knowledge in letter sound knowledge and sound blending tasks. It was established that both expressive and receptive vocabularies did not predict sound awareness in pupils with hard of hearing due to inadequate instruction in this area. Based on the findings, the study recommended that teachers of pupils with hard of hearing should utilize oral language when teaching pupils phonemic/phonics skills. Pupils with hearing impairment should also be identified early, possibly at entry into preschool or grade one so that they are provided with hearing aid device to help them speed up the acquisition of oral language skills.