Learning behaviors related to deaf students' success in college

Abstract

Some deaf students who have basic level reading and writing skills upon entry to college are successful and graduate and others are not. Summers (2003) reported that learning behaviors and study habits exhibited by hearing students provide useful information relative to college persistence. We do not have similar information relative to deaf students’ success. This article presents data describing three in-class and three out-of-class learning behaviors of 134 first-year deaf college students enrolled in basic-level English reading and writing courses. The in-class behaviors included class attendance, attentiveness, and participation; the out-of-class behaviors included completing assignments, using tutorial support, and doing optional work. The data for these six behaviors were studied to determine their relationships to these students’ persistence in college after three to five years. Students who had graduated or were still registered in college after three years were those who were already practicing strong study skills and habits in their first year. This finding has implications for fostering the development of these skills before deaf students enter college and very early in their college careers.