2024 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 17-19, 2024 • Denver, CO
| Exploring Factors to Close the Research-to-Practice Gap in Deaf Education
Exploring Factors to Close the Research-to-Practice Gap in Deaf Education
A current issue in the United States is the gap between research and practice in deaf education, leading children who are D/deaf or hard of hearing to be at-risk for poor educational outcomes. Though the research-to-practice gap has been acknowledged in prior research, techniques to improve this gap have not been investigated. Without an investment in identifying the root causes that continue to expand the research-to-practice gap, this issue will persist, leading to varied instruction and services within deaf education and therefore, varied child development. To better understand the association between research and practice, qualitive research through narrative inquiry was gathered. Semi-structured interviews with teachers of the deaf were conducted regarding their various past experiences with research, current interaction with research, and their interest in research moving forward. While further analysis is necessary, preliminary findings indicated that these teachers identified themselves as having “casual” or “non-existent” relationships with research and mostly only had experience with research through undergraduate degrees in fields outside of education. Additionally, teachers who did not have any interactions with research in teacher training programs or in their current professional settings did not have an interest in research moving forward. Overall, it was evident that teachers of the deaf currently need more support to interact with research and agree that research needs to progress forward as the children being served become more diverse and complex each year. Without research being produced, best practices cannot be awarded to the children who are D/deaf or hard of hearing. Therefore, this poster is intended for researchers and policymakers as well as early childhood providers and professionals in deaf education so that these stakeholders will investigate the causes of the research-to-practice gap and ultimately bridge the link between early childhood education practices in deaf education and research.
- To bridge the link between research and practice, from the perspectives of professionals in the deaf education field
- To evaluate how the role of research in deaf education teacher preparation programs and professional settings influences the degree to which it is used in practice
- To reduce variation in the outcomes of children who are D/deaf or hard of hearing through improving quality of services
Presentation:
3353554_15109BrynnePowell.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Brynne Powell
(Primary Presenter), Teachers College, Columbia University, bp2628@tc.columbia.edu;
Brynne Powell is currently pursuing her PhD in deaf education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, she worked as a teacher of the deaf in both public school and OPTION school settings, mostly with preschool-age deaf and hard of hearing children and their families. Brynne received a master’s degree in deaf education from Smith College as well as a Master of Public Health degree from Loyola University Chicago, specializing in public policy and management. Her research interests include theory of mind and social emotional development in deaf and hard of hearing children, spoken language acquisition, caregiver involvement in education, and federal and state policy regarding deaf and hard of hearing education.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.