| Description |
The purpose of this session is to present the results of a qualitative phenomenological study that explored the experiences of 20 Spanish-speaking parents regarding the development of spoken English with their preschool-aged children with hearing loss. The presentation will offer a description of the experiences from the parents’ own words. Semi-structured interview questions generated data and data were analyzed using phenomenological methodology. Three themes surfaced from the results: the search for information reported by the parents, parents’ emotional responses to their experiences, and the choices Spanish-speaking parents make regarding which language to use in their homes, Spanish or English, and why. Parents described their commitment to creating a foundation in the home language for their children but offered differing views of what a language-rich foundation means. The information in this study supports the creation of innovative programs that support the needs of bilingual parents.
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