Dinamica achiziției vocabularului la copiii cu dizabilități auditive: o perspectivă asupra competențelor expresive și a profunzimii lexical
The dynamics of vocabulary acquisition in children with hearing impairments: a perspective on expressive skills and lexical depthe
Ioana-Letiția ȘERBAN, Martina VARGA
Abstract
The empirical component of the study investigates vocabulary development in a small sample of six primary school students with hearing impairments, enrolled in special education. Participants differed in terms of auditory compensation (cochlear implants versus hearing aids), severity of hearing loss, and communication mode (verbal language and/or sign language). Vocabulary was assessed through tasks involving word naming, explanation of meanings, and the use of words in sentence completion.
The results reveal significant variability in vocabulary performance, influenced by both the type of auditory compensation and the linguistic environment. Students with cochlear implants and those predominantly using verbal language achieved higher scores in naming and usage tasks, while students relying mainly on sign language demonstrated stronger performance in sign-based expression but weaker outcomes in verbal and written vocabulary. Across participants, lexical depth proved to be more limited than lexical recognition, with many students providing only partial explanations of known words. Additionally, performance decreased as lexical complexity increased, particularly for multisyllabic words and written sentence tasks, where grammatical errors were frequent.
The findings underline the need for early, systematic, and multimodal vocabulary instruction that integrates verbal language, sign language, and visual support. Effective intervention should target both the expansion and deepening of vocabulary knowledge, ensuring meaningful integration into semantic networks. Such approaches are essential for improving language competence, literacy development, and educational inclusion in children with hearing impairments.
Keywords: vocabulary acquisition; hearing impairments; expressive language; lexical depth; multimodal instruction
pdf
DOI:10.26744/rrttlc.2026.12.1.11
Published on line: 03/31/2026
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