Perspectives on the Contributions of Phonology and Morphology to the Development of Reading Comprehension for Turkish D/deaf and Hard of Hearing Students: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The development of literacy skills of d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/Dhh) children and adolescents has been a long-standing challenge for educators. There is a need for researchers and scholars to investigate this challenge to proffer evidence-based practices. This systematic review focuses on the development of reading for both d/Dhh and, for comparison purposes, typical (hearing) Turkish students. The components under study are the structures of the Turkish language, specifically the interrelations of phonology, morphology, and reading comprehension. Although it is argued that both phonology and morphology contribute to reading comprehension, these components, particularly morphology, play substantial roles in Turkish, which is an agglutinative language. Available research on both typical (hearing) and d/Dhh students are critically analyzed, and recommendations for further instruction and investigation are proffered.