A Descriptive Study of Communicative Intentions Used by Hearing Teachers and Preschool Children with Hearing Loses

Abstract

This study investigated the range of Communicative Intentions (CIs) used by three hearing teachers and eleven preschool children with hearing losses in a Lesson context. The participant's use of the CI categories of Conversational Devices, Descriptions, Performatives, Requests, Responses, Statements, and Uninterpretables is described and discussed. The teachers' were found to demonstrate all of the range categories considered with similar rank orders for category use. Unlike previous research, where data were collected from several contexts and for longer periods of time, only seven of the 11 children used all of the range categories in the 20 minute samples. The data, in conjunction with the process of collection and analysis, suggested that some teaching styles and restricted contexts may not support the use a wide range of CIs by all participants. The findings are used to discuss implications for teaching.