A qualitative analysis of deaf secondary writers’ strengths and needs
Journal
Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date Issued
May 6, 2026
Author(s)
Dostal, Hannah
University of Connecticut, University of Tennessee
Spurgin, Kelsey
Martinez, Elizabeth
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Abstract
This qualitative study examines the narrative and argumentative writing of 75 deaf high school students from the United States through thematic analysis. Writing samples were evaluated on six traits: idea development, organization, style, sentence fluency, word choice, and conventions. A representative set of 85 samples was selected to reflect a range of writing quality, including both low- and high-scoring pieces, to capture the diversity of strengths and needs. Findings revealed outcomes ranging from emerging writing skills to genre-specific writing aligned with grade-level expectations. Lower-scoring responses were often brief, loosely organized, and contained unfinished or unidentifiable words with limited sentence variety. In contrast, higher-scoring samples demonstrated clearer purpose and organization, evidence of knowledge-transforming strategies, and stronger control of sentence structure, using varied sentence types to promote fluency of expression. The study underscores the need for adaptable writing instruction that addresses a range of writing needs present in secondary classrooms.
Disciplines
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Name
TRACE_Secondary_Qual_MS.docx.pdf
Size
641.62 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
e64bc0853292160a9ee7366edb478f65