Specificities of abstract notions in the vocabulary of deaf and hard of hearing children of elementary school age

Abstract

Knowledge of words refers to the accuracy of use of a certain word, as well as the use of the word in different forms, circumstances and contexts . Development of notions in deaf and hard of hearing children is associated with the development of vocabulary . Deaf and hard of hearing children have difficulty forming abstract notions. Vocabulary of deaf and hard of hearing pupils needs to be continuously enriched with new words, which are explained by a sign (gesture). The sample consisted of 91 deaf and hard of hearing pupils of elementary school age. The aim of the study was to examine the level of acquisition of sign and spoken language expression and understanding of the notions in deaf and hard of hearing children of elementary school age, within the lexical field of Mental activities. The study was carried out in relation to age, degree of hearing loss, mark in Serbian language and gender. In the research, a list of 20 stimulus words was used, within the lexical field of Mental activities. The achieved results show that with the age and school grade increasing, the average value of achievement within the lexical field of Mental activities also increases. Deaf and hard of hearing pupils from the first to the eighth grade had obvious difficulties in knowing and understanding certain given notions. A better understanding of the notions in sign language expression when compared to speech was shown by pupils from the first to the fourth grade. The achieved results indicate that there is a correlation between understanding the words, the meanings of words and reading . With mother tongue teaching, as well as within other school subjects, we should strive to develop and expand the children's vocabulary as much as possible. It is necessary for pupils to use words in different speech situations, especially in their function within the sentence. In working with deaf and hard of hearing children, through school subjects, it is necessary to direct the development of sign language and speech in the fields aiming at education fields necessary for everyday educational needs and for different life situations.

Dobijeni rezultati ukazuju da postoji povezanost između razumevanja reči, značenja reči i čitanja. Nastavom maternjeg jezika, kao i u okviru drugih nastavnih predmeta, treba nastojati da se u što većoj meri razvija i proširuje dečji rečnik. Neophodno je da učenici upotrebljavaju reči u različitim govornim situacijama, prvenstveno u njihovoj rečeničkoj funkciji. U radu sa gluvom i nagluvom decom, kroz nastavne predmete potrebno je usmeravati razvoj znakovnog jezika i govora u oblastima usmerenim ka obrazovnim područjima potrebnim za svakodnevne potrebe obrazovanja i za različite životne situacije.