Literal and inferential reading comprehension of students who are deaf or hard of hearing

Abstract

While the notion that students who are deaf or hard of hearing have reading comprehension difficulties is not new, the issue of differences in the type of reading comprehension has attracted less attention. The present study compares the literal and inferential comprehension abilities for textual, functional, and recreational text genres of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Literal comprehension exceeded inferential for males but not for females. Educational setting influenced the ability for literal and inferential reading and for comprehension facility with the three text genres. The implications of the findings for future reading instruction are discussed.