A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY ON THE LIVED EXPERIENCE IN LANGUAGE

ACQUISITION OF FILIPINO HEARING CHILDREN OF DEAF PARENTS

An Undergraduate Research

Presented to the Faculty of the Polytechnic

University of the Philippines

Santa Rosa, Campus

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree

Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English

Submitted by:

Abalos, Melchor Jr C.

Cañete, Catrina M.

Dimalanta, Jazmine Joy P.

Duallo, Michelle P.

Pascua, Mark Joseph T.

2022
 Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Language acquisition is the process where we acquire a specific language, and

learning a language is a lifelong process that begins at birth and continues throughout

your life. That is why there are many factors that could affect the language acquisition of

a child. In contrast to learning, language acquisition is a subconscious process similar to

how children learn their first language (Kramina, 1999). Language acquisition and

language learning are two different approaches. Language acquisition is the

subconscious process of understanding a language without direct grammatical

teaching. This is mainly done through conversations and social interactions with a child

without them knowing they are learning. While language learning is the approach with

more direct instruction regarding the way that language works and includes a more

grammatical focus (Allman, 2018). When learning a new language, there are various

factors to consider, like parents, who are the primary ones that engage and interact with

infants regularly, which is why they are referred to as the "first teacher." According to

many researchers, parent-child interactions, as well as improved verbal responses, are

critical in creating a child's literacy environment and language development. In a 2011

article, Nariswariatmojo discussed and emphasized the several aspects that influence a

child's language learning. He also claimed that there are internal and external factors,

with family factors being one of the external factors. Therefore, how parents educate

their children has a significant impact on their language learning. The parent's

interaction and the child's total language age had a strong positive relationship, so it is
evident that parent-child interaction is a crucial factor in a child's language development.

(Safwat and Sheikhany, 2014). When it comes to language acquisition, it is clear that

there are numerous factors to consider, particularly the parents, who play a critical role

in a child's language acquisition. Because parents are one of the most important factors

in a child's language acquisition, this study is interested in discovering the relationship

between parents and their child's language acquisition, particularly the hearing children

of deaf parents. The purpose of this study is to learn about hearing children's language

acquisition experiences as well as the factors that may influence their language

acquisition.

SCOPE AND LIMITATION

The study focuses on the lived experiences of the Filipino hearing children of

deaf parents and how it has affected their language acquisition. This research will cover

only the responses to the questions provided by the questionnaire with regards to

hearing children’s lived experiences in language acquisition. The information gathered

will be used solely for the study as a final requirement for the Academic Year

2021-2022.

The participants in this study are purposely chosen according to the criteria

established by the researchers for the study. Due to the pandemic situation, the

population of hearing children is constantly changing.

Procedures of this study include the whole participation of the participants in an

in-depth interview. The interview will be conducted through an online platform and will

be recorded for documentation. The participant has the right to disagree if he/she is not
comfortable with the thought of being recorded. The online interview will be taken for a

whole day or until the target information is acquired.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The researchers aim to study the lived experiences in language acquisition of

Filipino hearing children of deaf parents. Furthermore, this research main problem is:

how have the lived experiences affected the language acquisition of hearing children of

deaf parents? In addition, the following sub-questions guided the research on this topic:

1. How do the hearing children describe their communication at home?

2. What are the factors that had an influence on the language acquisition of

hearing children with deaf parents?

3. How do the hearing children of deaf parents describe their interactions with the

factors that influenced them in acquiring the language?

4. What driving forces did hearing children identify that aided in overcoming the

challenges/barriers that were faced in acquiring the language

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
 The focus of this section is to give the path of the research and ground it firmly

with a concept and theory, this is to make the research findings more meaningful and

acceptable. This study focuses on hearing children and deaf parents and the

communication patterns between a deaf parent and a hearing child.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
 Children learn their first language through interaction with their parents and the

environment in which they live. Even before they enter school, children begin to

communicate. This implies that language acquisition takes place through exposure
rather than systematic study. As noticed, children acquire their first language through

interaction with their parents and the environment surrounding them.

The researchers use Jerome Bruner’s Interactionist Theory in Language

Acquisition. The interactionist theory says neither biological nor social factors alone

shape language learning, but a combination of the two. Rather than one area of the

brain being dedicated to language, interactionists believe that children use the same

parts of their brain and the experiences they get from their environment to learn the

language as they do to learn any other skill. This approach claims that if the language

ability develops out of a desire to communicate, then language is dependent upon

whom you want to communicate with. This means that your background will have a

significant influence on how well and quickly you learn to communicate. Both biological

and social factors have to interact in order for children to learn a language. Children’s

strong desire to communicate with others motivates them to acquire and communicate

using a language. It simply says that language acquisition is influenced by the desire of

children to communicate with others.

Biological

Our genes contain a basic pattern for all human languages. If a child is not

exposed to people who speak the language, he or she will lose the ability to learn it

spontaneously and without effort. If this deprivation continues until the child reaches

puberty, the youngster will no longer be biologically capable of achieving native fluency

in any language, but they may be able to develop a limited proficiency. But if the child
continues to develop, it includes biological maturation, neural development, and

cognitive development in the language.

Social

Language development is influenced by a child's social surroundings. The

development of social and language abilities requires interaction with children. Parental

involvement in language acquisition includes not only speaking to the child but also

conversing with him or her while the child is there. How parents engage with early

children has a significant impact on a child's language acquisition. The quantity of time

parents spend with their children influences their development, reading to children is

also beneficial, as is encouraging them to do the same and acquire the language. In

addition to income, gadgets, and appliances like smartphones and televisions also

affect language development. In a home environment centered around watching

television or a child watching a youtube video using smartphones, language, and verbal

expressions reduces the need for talking. When talking and conversations in the home

and environment are reduced, language development may suffer.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

For the purpose of clarification, the important terms used in this study have been

defined. The following terms are:

Barriers/Challenges. are anything that prevents someone from receiving and

understanding the messages sent by others to communicate their information, ideas,

and thoughts. They can also interfere with or block the message someone is trying to

send.

Biological. anything that has an impact on a live organism's function and behavior.

Internally, this element can be a psychologically affecting physical, physiological,

pharmacological, neurological, or genetic condition.

Communication. refers to the exchanging of information from one person to another.

Driving Forces. refers to someone or something that has the power to make things

happen or changes to occur.

Hearing Child. or ‘CODA’ refers to any hearing person born to one or two Deaf parents

(Bishop & Hicks 2005; Bull 1998; Mand et al. 2009).

Influence. It is the power to affect someone or something's character, development, or

behavior, or the effect itself.

Interaction. It is a direct involvement or communication with someone or something.

Language acquisition. the process by which children learn their native language
Lived Experiences. It is the personal knowledge of the world gained through direct,

first-hand involvement in everyday events rather than through representations.

Phenomenological Study. Phenomenological research studies in educational settings

generally embody lived experience, perception, and feelings of participants about a

phenomenon (Yüksel and Yıldırım, 2015).

Neural Development. The processes that generate, shape, and reshape the nervous

system of animals, from embryonic development to adulthood, are referred to as

nervous system development, or neural development.

Sign Language. refers to any means of communication through bodily movements,

especially of the hands and arms, used when spoken communication is impossible or

not desirable.

Cognitive Development - It is the development of a child's ability to reason and think.

Social. refers to social elements including family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and

the media. These elements can influence our attitudes, beliefs, and passions.

Significance of the Study

This study is conducted to benefit the following:

CODA. Benefits such as a sense of empowerment and increased knowledge from the

study may lead to improved health advocacy, study participation, and outcomes.
Deaf Parents. This study will provide deaf parents with insightful strategies and ideas

for assisting their child or children in learning to communicate effectively as well as in

acquiring their language.

School or University. This research will benefit the researchers' school or university

because it will add to the corpus of information that will be useful for future researchers.

Researchers. The study's findings are valuable to both current and future scholars.

This research could serve as a foundation for future research.

Government Agencies. Government agencies will benefit from this type of research in

order to support federal funding. This funding for linguistic research is critical—not just

for linguists, but for anyone who wants to help people understand and communicate

better with one another.

Linguist. Language researchers will be able to visualize spatial patterns of languages

and understand how languages evolve in different environments and over time as a

result of this research.

 Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Language is a set of common spoken, manual (signed), or written symbols that

people use to communicate as members of a social group and members of that group's

culture. Language serves a variety of purposes, including communication, identity

expression, play, creative expression, and emotional release. Additionally, it is thought

of like the manner in which people connect with one another through spoken words, and

it involves specific systems and styles (Oxford 2009).

The development of language in young children has long been seen as one of

the distinctive traits that define human behavior. Some research says that children are

naturally born to acquire and learn a language as they grow. The environment and their

parents play an important role in their acquisition of language.

In the book "Child Language: Acquisition and Development" by Matthew Saxton

(2018), he talked about how a child develops his language as he grows. Starting from

the time that he was in his mother’s womb until the time that he was born. The four

major landmarks in language development are presented at each of the following four

levels of linguistic analysis: phonology (the sound system), vocabulary, morphology

(parts of words, especially those parts used for grammar) grammar. Phonology—

concerned with the sounds of speech, vocabulary— the storehouse of meaning (words),

morphology— bits of meaning encoded in the grammar, like the plural ending, -s in

dogs, grammar— the rules dictating how words are put together into sentences.
 In a research study "A Child Language Acquisition in Indonesian and English

Language: A Longitudinal Case Study" by Dr. Hamka (2019), he pointed out four major

factors that affected the language acquisition of the children, in his case, his participant

specifically in utterances: (1) language input, (2) language acquisition device, (3)

imitation, and (4) environment and immediate family. The role of input affects a child’s

language development. Children, who do not receive input or exposure to a language,

will not develop their linguistic ability normally. In the case of Addien, since she lives

with a lot of immediate families (there are eight adults altogether) and gets a lot of

exposure either in Indonesian or English (mostly from the researcher), her linguistic

ability develops a lot. Her utterances are like most normal children who start producing

one word, two words, and more complete sentences consisting of subject, verb, and

noun or adverb either in affirmative sentences or questions. She can understand what

people say and act, utter the words, produce sentences, and respond to people in her

surroundings, even to the activities she watches on television. In the case of Genie, due

to being isolated and having minimal contact with other people until the age of 14 years,

she was unable to acquire the grammatical rules of English. She couldn’t speak good

grammatical structure, had a lack of auxiliary verbs, and lacked the past tense marker,

the third person singular agreement marker, and most pronouns. But, after being

trained, she could utter some words. So, it means that as a human being, her innate

language device exists. Pinker (cited in Carlson, 1997) maintained that an innate

language acquisition device guides the child’s acquisition of a language, which is part of

a general theory about the cognitive structures responsible for language and its

acquisition. This imitation, as a part of the habit–formation theory of the structural

linguists, plays a significant role as repetition in its approach. Repeated occurrences of

the response form a constant pattern. The child is reinforced for the correct response

again after he imitates the adults he hears. This language acquisition theory is based on

the view that language is acquired behavior resulting from habits. Such habits are

formed by practice and repetition (Boey, 1975). A conducive and positive environment,

as well as interaction from immediate family and media, contributes to the process of

language development, as language acquisition is a creative process. Her ability to

communicate developed stunningly after the age of three years because of the

mentioned factors above. The stimulation of the environment affects language ability.

Ambridge, et al. (2015) and Reali and Christiansen (2007) pointed out that “the

most-immediate environmental effect on language pertains to the frequency of language

use, which affects both acquisition and adult language processing.” AlHammadi (2017)

also found that child language development is not only affected by environmental, but

also by social and genetic factors. It revealed that social class, family history,

environmental, and genetic factors contribute to the prediction of a child’s language

development.

In a separate study by Dr. Hamka "An Indonesian Child Learning Sentence

Construction" (2016), a study is also in the area of language acquisition but another

language; the subject's development of English complex sentences is significant since

within 18 months he could produce various sentence constructions (infinitival and

sentential and also conjoined clauses) accordingly. The findings of the study have

proven that the acquisition of his English is similar if not the same as that of English
children. The subject is a native Indonesian who learns English in a foreign setting, yet

the process of English development follows the same path as that of English children,

thus, a native language learner. This is because there are liable universal principles

apparently underlying this condition: innate capacity in a child’s brain to learn any

language in his environment, a child’s prime time in learning language, sufficient

exposure to and opportunities to use language; and this is apparently applicable to the

learning of language.

An above-mentioned study of a child's language acquisition pointed out the four

major factors that affect the language acquisition of the children: (1) language input, (2)

language acquisition device, (3) imitation, and (4) environment and immediate family.

The role of input affects a child’s language development. With this, the researchers

assumed that interaction within the environment where the child lives plays an important

role in their acquisition of language.

In a study conducted by Zoe Owen (2014) where she tried to investigate if there

was evidence of less well-developed pragmatic language competence in children at risk

of school exclusion and if so, she interpreted the results through an interactionist

perspective. Her study "The Relationship Between Pragmatic Language Competence

and School Exclusion: An Interactionist Perspective" explains that an intrinsic view

holds that a child’s Special Educational Needs - SENs result from some deficiency

‘within’ (as intelligence is conceived as innate, hereditary and fixed) them which

presents a barrier to their development. While the extrinsic perspective is concerned

with the environmental demands placed on a child. An extrinsic view purports that

‘…there are no children with learning difficulties, only adults with teaching difficulties’
(Frederickson and Cline, 2009, pg. 43). The interactionist perspective is a confluence of

the two positions in that it considers the complex interplay between a child’s intrinsic

abilities, and the environmental demands being placed on them (Owen, 2014) Her study

proved that a child’s intrinsic (biological) and extrinsic (social-environmental) affects the

child’s development of pragmatic language.

The study conducted by Rasha Farouk Safwat and Aya R. Sheikhany in 2014,

titled "Effect of parent interaction on language development in children", aims to study

and evaluate the quantity and quality of parent-child interactions that contribute to

language development and detect the factors that would influence this interaction in

different socioeconomic standards to consider while planning the therapy program. This

study included 100 parents and their children; they were attendants at the Phoniatric

Unit of Kasr Al Aini Hospital, complaining of delayed language development in their

children. The results of their study indicate that the majority of the included parents did

not use effective methods to foster their child’s language acquisition, although their

knowledge about language development and intervention was adequate. They also

stated that there was a significant positive association between the parent’s interaction

score and the child’s total language age. They have also found that socioeconomic

status has been shown to be a significant predictor of a child’s language outcomes.

They conclude that the parent's interaction and the child's total language age had a

strong positive relationship. They also conclude that parent-child interaction is a crucial

factor in a child's language development.

According to Sarah Roseberry Lytle and Patricia K. Kuhl (2017) in Chapter 27 of

their "Handbook of Psycholinguistics: Social Interaction and Language Acquisition",

social interaction plays a critical role in language acquisition: Typically developing

infants’ learning of new language material is excellent when language is experienced

during social interaction with a live person (means that an interaction with another

person plays an important role in the development of the child’s acquisition of

language). They also tackled the theoretical hypothesis that social interaction “gates”

language learning (Kuhl, 2007; 2011). A study conducted by Isa Spahiu in 2018, titled

"The Role of Social Interaction in Language Acquisition." This study tries to show the

importance of interaction in language acquisition. It said in the study that interaction

may occur in two different ways: interpersonal and intrapersonal. Spahiu (2018) stated

that society doesn't only have an impact on the development of speaking skills but also

on the way we speak, act, believe, and much more. He also stated that language is a

major source of information for children learning the ways and worldviews of their

culture. His research has shown that conversational activities involving small children

vary in ways that systematically relate to cultural beliefs, values, and social order.

According to this study, it has been demonstrated that children can learn language and

knowledge by participating in social activities and everyday life. Language is extremely

important in understanding the nature of culture and how language and knowledge are

passed down from generation to generation, but more research is needed into the

impact of language acquisition and culture on adults and children (Spahiu, 2018). He

then came to the conclusion that language is used to socialize children and can assist

us in understanding the functional and symbolic interface between language and

culture.
 In the article “The Home Literacy Environment Is a Correlate, but Perhaps Not a

Cause, of Variations in Children’s Language and Literacy Development” by Puglisi,

Marina, et al., (2017) their findings suggest that it is not solely the amount of literacy

activity a child is exposed to that determines his or her early language and literacy

development; it is also the linguistic ability of the parent, in this case, the mother who is

providing the literacy environment at home. Much of what has been traditionally

attributed to the home literacy environment may be a proxy for parental abilities (Puglisi,

Marina, et al., 2017). However, they stated that it is important to note that their findings

do not speak to the potential benefits of interventions to improve children's language

and reading skills. According to their findings, the informal home literacy environment

has no direct influence on children's language and reading development.

Tanveer Shameem (2015) emphasizes the Chomskyan innateness hypothesis in

his work titled "The Maturation Theory," which provided a solid foundation for

genetics-based language acquisition explanations. Chomsky's proposal did not,

however, receive the proper recognition until Lenneberg's Biological Foundations of

Language was published in 1967. Lenneberg attempted to explain language learning

from the perspective of development and maturation in the book. The hypothesis is

hence called Maturation Theory (also known as Biological Theory). It is now considered

to be crucial evidence in favor of Chomsky's Innate Theory. The following hypotheses

served as the foundation for Lenneberg's theory:

● Language development is akin to other biological developments in human growth

and maturation.
 ● Like many inborn mechanisms, language development is also confined to a

specific time or critical period.

● After a critical period, the brain loses plasticity due to lateralization, thereby

making language acquisition incredibly difficult.

● The process of brain lateralization starts at about 2 years of age and is

completed by puberty.

In “Why does parental language input style predict child language development?

A twin study of gene–environment correlation” (2015) by Dale, Philip S., et al., says a

child with a strong genetic endowment for mathematics, or for music, or athletics does

not become exceptionally skilled without years of practice; the genes may have their

largest effect by inclining the child to spend his or her time in that practice (cf.

Detterman, 2014, and associated papers for a discussion of practice, ability, and

expertise). Similarly, the genes shared by parent and child lead to forms of ‘language

practice’ which, in their quantity and their quantity, facilitate child language

development. This genotype-environment correlation in no way precludes the

effectiveness of interventions for parents or for children, and many interventions have

been developed with both short-term and long-term effects (Finestack & Fey, 2013;

Girolametto et al., 2013). Nevertheless, the study suggests that it is important to

understand that correlations between parent language and child language development

are not always causal; they often involve correlations between genetic propensities of

parents and their children, a conclusion which has important implications for intervention

and prevention as well as interpretation. Awareness of the ways in which genes and

environment interplay are essential for developing better interventions, for example, in
understanding the bidirectional transactions between parent language and child

language development and the genotype-environment feedback loops. It has often been

pointed out that genetically sensitive designs such as twin studies can provide the

strongest possible evidence for environmental effects.

In an article entitled, 'We were our parents' ears and mouths': Reflecting on the

Language Brokering Experiences of Hearing Children Born to Deaf Parents (Moroe and

Andrade, 2018), the author reflects on the childhood experiences of language brokering

in deaf-parented families. Since hearing children that are born to deaf parents, or

children of deaf adults (CODAs), are often bicultural and bilingual members of the deaf

and hearing communities, they are often expected to fulfill adult roles, especially as the

communication link between their deaf parents and the hearing society. Assuming adult

roles may place CODAs in difficult situations, potentially affecting their well-being and

development.

Two male and eight female participants who are hearing adults of deaf parents,

ages 21-40 years old were identified through purposive and snowball sampling,

participated in this study. A phenomenological, qualitative approach was employed

using semi-structured, open-ended interviews. Thematic analysis revealed inductive

themes. As a result, the findings indicate that the interviewed CODAs acted as

language brokers and interpreters between their families and the hearing community

from a very young age. As children, they were placed in demanding situations, for which

they were not developmentally ready. CODAs found balancing the demands from both

communities emotionally draining, especially at a young age. As a conclusion, "A

multidisciplinary approach is suggested to address the mental health, wellbeing and

development of young CODAs." (NF Moroe and V de Andrade, 2018)

In the qualitative phenomenological study entitled, "The Children of Deaf Adults"

(Genie Gertz and Patrick Boudreault, 2016) they explored the lived experience of

hearing adults of Deaf parents who acted as language and cultural conduits for their

parents during their formative years. The 12 hearing children of culturally deaf parents,

where American Sign Language was the primary language in their home of origin, and

who experienced interpreting for their parents are the respondents in the study.

Researchers collect their lived experiences and perceptions of influence on personal

development which served as the research data.

Interview data was examined through:

● Moustakas’ phenomenological analysis schema - provided a sense of the whole,

ascertained meaningful units for psychological concept application, captured

distinct descriptions, and composite essence of findings.

● Giorgi’s three-stage analysis via bracketing, description, and essence articulation

through the use of intentional journaling, secondary researcher

scrutiny/agreement, along with manual and electronic analysis, supported

objectivity.

Through Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological Process-Person-Context-Time model,

the study concludes that; "being a Child of Deaf Adults (Coda) is a privilege; parental
interpreting expectations/preferences were influenced by era, sibling chronology,

gender, personality, fluency, and technology; language brokering dynamics beyond the

child’s level of comfort or understanding; transient resistance to signing during one’s

tween/teen years; influence on one’s own parenting style; personal identity development

within the Deaf and Hearing cultural milieu; pride and appreciation for their parents’

achievements; and overt certainty that personal career choices directly stemmed from

being a Coda." (B.A. Wood, 2016)

In a qualitative study of Tracy Rouly Knight, "Social Identity in Hearing Youth

Who Have Deaf Parents: A Qualitative Study" it describes the perspectives of young

children of deaf adults regarding their linguistic and cultural identity. Codas are the one

xwho represents an interesting subgroup of bilingual, bicultural, and bimodal children

with diverse language and cultural backgrounds. To be consider as Coda, (a) the person

must have normal hearing and (b) the person must have at least one deaf parent.

Through the questionnaires based on Henri Tajfel’s social identity theory under these

three subgroups: Social Categorization, Social Identification, and Social Comparison as

well as to compare in-group and out-group (Deaf and hearing worlds). The Kodas have

agreed to voice their experiences about being a Koda and how they felt, compared to

other groups, and how they have learned more of their own identity by being a Koda.

The researcher found major themes in three components of Tajfel’s social identity

theory and conclude the social identity of Kodas by having their “voice” be heard and

documented in this dissertation.

 In the study of Erin N. Toohey in 2010 “Phonological Development in Hearing

Children of Deaf Parents”, she examines whether 3 hearing children of deaf parents,

hereafter referred to as CODAs, has inconsistencies, as compared to children in a

typical linguistic environment, in their syllable structure, phonological processes, or

phonemic inventories, it is stated that some literature has found delays in CODAs

acquisition of spoken language due to the unique linguistic environment of these

children. In her findings using the Stoel-Gammon and Stone’s (1991) article as her

reference, it is evident that all three children in the study fall within the normal range for

language development specifically regarding phonological processes, syllable structure,

and phonemic inventory (Toohey 2010). Her research has also determined that CODAs,

although acquiring language in an atypical linguistic environment, do not show any

obvious language deficits. Specifically, in regard to phonological processes, syllable

structure, and phonemic inventories, the three CODAs in the current study are within

the normal range for all three of these aspects of phonological development.

From “Theoretical Frameworks, Methods, and Procedures for Conducting

Phenomenological Studies in Education Settings” by Yuksel and Turkey in 2015,

Synthesis of the Related Literature and Studies

The above collection of studies provides information to the researchers that their

proposed study has similarities with other studies. Dr. Hamka (2019) pointed out four

major factors that affected the language acquisition of the children specifically in

utterances: (1) language input, (2) language acquisition device, (3) imitation, and (4)

environment and immediate family. A similar agreement that a child’s intrinsic

(biological) and extrinsic (social-environmental) affects the child’s development of

pragmatic language (Owen, 2014). In the case of CODA, although acquiring language

in an atypical linguistic environment, do not show any obvious language deficits

(Toohey, 2010); and acts as language brokers and interpreters between their families

and the hearing community from a very young age (Moroe & Andrade, 2018). In the

case of CODA, although acquiring language in an atypical linguistic environment, do not

show any obvious language deficits (Toohey, 2010); and acts as language brokers and

interpreters between their families and the hearing community from a very young age

(Moroe & Andrade, 2018). However, it is also stated that some literature has found

delays in CODAs acquisition of spoken language due to the unique linguistic

environment of these children (Toohey, 2010).

 Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

This study will use phenomenological analysis as part of its qualitative research design.

Understanding and describing a particular phenomenon are the main goals of a

phenomenological inquiry (Yüksel & Yıldırım, 2015). Additionally, it looks at a

phenomenon as it is seen by people and describes it in detail without taking into

account potential causes. The emphasis was on the individual language acquisition

experiences of hearing children of deaf parents. Phenomenology calls for a fresh

perspective; researchers must leave their personal experiences and preconceptions

behind and concentrate on the shared aspects of a lived experience within a particular

community. To describe the nature of the phenomenon is the approach's main objective

(Creswell & Poth, 2016).

The Tradition of Inquiry and Data-Generation Method

Procedures of this study include the complete participation of the participant in an

in-depth interview which the researchers will discuss after, to come up with the results.

Depending on the situation or preferences of the participants, the interview will be

conducted via online video conference or face-to-face, and will be recorded for

documentation. The online interview will be taken for a whole day or until the target

information is acquired.
// revised?

The researchers set aside time and collaborated to create an interview-questionnaire

that would serve the intended participants. The study instrument is made up of three

main categories that are further subdivided into different subparts based on the

participants' lived experiences with language acquisition as children of deaf parents.

Depending on the situation or preferences of the participants, the interview will be

conducted via online video conference or face-to-face, and will be recorded for

documentation.

The data collected by this research instrument will be organized, sorted, and tabulated

for analysis and description based on the themes or codes presented by the

participants' responses. To supplement the primary data, the researchers will consult

secondary sources gathered from related literature.

Sources of Data

The data came from the answers in the interviews of the participants, who were

asked about their lived experiences with language acquisition. The participants are

hearing children of deaf parents from the Philippines. Purposive sampling was used by

the researchers to select the participants. This is a non-probability sampling technique

in which researchers use their discretion to select variables for the sample population

(Formplus Blog, 2021). In this study, the entire sampling process is dependent on the

researcher's judgment and knowledge of the context. The researchers' criteria must be
met in order for the study to be completed. The selection criteria were as follows: (a)

must be a deaf parent's child (son or daughter), (b) at least a high school student, (c) a

Filipino, and (d) willing to participate in an online or face-to-face interview.

Instrumentation

Ethical Considerations

The researchers provided a cover letter containing a written explanation of the

study’s goals, its voluntariness, the time commitment required, how the results would be

used, participants' right to leave the study at any time, and the confidentiality of all data

collected using data collection methods. The cover letter was carefully explained by the

researchers to the participant. After a careful explanation, the researchers then asked

each participant their written consent before the actual interview. Considering that there

were underaged participants, the researchers asked parental consent signed and

acknowledged by the parent/guardian. Confidentiality was assured using numbers (e.g.

P1, P2, etc.) instead of their real identity during the transcription of their responses. The

participants will give the researchers sensitive personal information, so maintaining their

right to privacy is important to the researchers since they feel obligated to do so. The

researchers must also secure the computer being used and lock the filing cabinet where

all of the non-computerized material is kept in order to ensure the privacy of all the data.
 Chapter 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter presents the study’s findings as well as the analysis and interpretation of

the gathered data. Qualitative findings are provided in response to the research questions

formulated. A large number of facts were provided through an interview-questionnaire to explore

the participants’ thoughts, feelings and beliefs on the research topic.

Interview Questions Responses Code

1. Communication at Home

1.1. Who do you often P1: “Though I am living with my Mother

communicate with at mom together with my aunt and

home? (Sino ang madalas cousin I believe I spend more time

communicating with my own mom
mong nakakausap sa
po.”
bahay?)

P2: “Kapatid ko po.” Sibling

 P3: "Bale nung una po yung pinsan Grandmother and cousin

ko talaga kasi sya po yung

pinakamatanda samin dito na

nakakapagsalita pero simula nung

lagi na sya nag tatrabaho yung

kapatid ko na po"

P4: “So, yung madalas ko pong Grandfather

makausap sa bahay is my

grandfather po.”

P4: “I’m living with deaf and mute

mom and dad and of course my

grandfather.”

P5: "I am actually living in the same Father

roof with my aunt aside from my

mom and dad but most of the time I

find myself communicating more to

my dad. Ahmm… maybe because

we are both male so we usually

have a lot of things to talk about."

1.2. How often do you P1: “Of course po, everyday I Everyday

speak with your parents at speak with my mom. It's like I

home? (Gaano kadalas cannot live a day without having a

conversation with her po.
kayong nag-uusap ng
iyong magulang sa : “Both verbal and non-verbal

bahay?) po. Even if my mom is not hearing

me po, sometimes I still talk to her Verbal and Nonverbal

verbally po with sign language of

course. Pero mas madalas po is

1.2.1. How do you speak
sign language since we studied
with your parents at home?
formal sign language naman po.
(Paano kayo nag-uusap ng
P2: “Minsan lang.” Seldom
magulang mo sa bahay?)
: “Kay mama nag uusap kami,

verbally. Tapos kay papa sign

language.”

P3: "Araw araw po syempre, Everyday

pagkilos pa lang po sa bahay at

mga gawaing bahay hindi

maiiwasang hindi po makipagusap

kila mama at papa."

P3: "Sign language po pero

madalas nagsasalita din ako Verbal and nonverbal

habang nag sasign language kahit

hindi po nila ako naririnig kasi hindi

ko rin po alam kung nagegets po

nila yung sign language ko po."

P4: “Ayan so, gaano kadalas? Seldom

Hindi po kami madalas nakakapag

usap and just like what i said

earlier po, my mom and dad they

are deaf and mute po kasi so ang

madalas ko lang pong nakakausap

sa bahay is my grandfather”

P4: “Uhm… we communicate po

with each other by using sign

language uhm and with verbal

po…kaso yun po medyo hirap

parin po eh.”

P4: “Ah… non-verbal po” Verbal and nonverbal.

(Informal Sign
P4: “Yes po, so actually po meron Language)
po kaming sign language kung

saan uhm… actually informal po

kasi yun parang may mga sign

language po na kami lang po yung

nagkakaintindihan ganyan, ayun

po”
P4: “Uhm.. unfortunately hindi po

so hindi po kasi kaya nang budget

ganyan so hindi po ako naka

attend nang formal schooling po for

sign language”

P4: “Uhm.. ganun din po ah i mean

yung sa sign language po hindi rin

po sila nagkaroon ng formal ah

schooling about po dun”

P5: "Always. But, most of the Always

time, it's my dad. But that

doesn't mean I like my dad

more than my mom. It's just

that daddy and I shared the

same interest"

:"Sign language of course

since both of them are deaf.

Although sometimes I also Verbal and nonverbal

speak while doing the sign

language because I feel like

they also based their

 understanding on my mouth's

movement aside from doing

the sign language"

1.3. Is it difficult to P1: "No, I think I won't consider it No difficulty

understand your parents difficult po. Though sometimes I

when you speak to each can say it takes a little effort for us
to understand each other, but I will
other? (Nahihirapan ka
still say I never felt so hard
bang intindihin ang iyong
speaking with my mom po."
mga magulang kapag kayo
: "Sometimes when I feel like
ay nag-uusap?)
there are unexpressed thoughts

and feelings, that's the only time I Can't Express Thoughts

1.3.1. Which part of your believe I am having a hard time

conversation are you speaking with her po."

having difficulty with?

Why? (Saang bahagi ng

inyong pag-uusap ka P2: “Medyo, pag inuutusan ako Experienced Difficulty

nahihirapan? Bakit?) mali mali ehh nababatukan ako ni

mama nagkakaroon kami nang

misunderstanding”

: “Kay papa sign language,

mabilis kasi siya mag senyas ehh

kasi ako baguhan palang ako sa

sign language ehh siya matagal na, Informal Sign Language

edi syempre tuloy tuloy siya

natutulala lang ako”

P3: "Mahirap, opo mahirap po. Kasi Experienced Difficulty

may mga times po na inaabot na

po kami ng ilang minuto bago nila

ako maintindihan noon. Minsan

nga po namimisinterpret ko po sila

kaya minsan kailangan ko pa po

ulit ulitin sa kanila hanggang sa

magkaintindihan po kami at magets

po namin ang isa't isa.

: "Madalas kasi ang bilis ng pag

sa-sign language tapos yun po

syempre mas marami parin yung

nakakausap ko verbally kaya mas

sanay ako dun (verbal

communication) kesa sa sign

Informal Sign Language
language na pag uusap. Kapag

may mga ipapagawa po sila or

iuutos nahihirapan po ako intindihin

minsan kasi hindi nga po kami

nakapag aral ng formal sign

language.
P4: “Honestly, yes po actually Experienced Difficulty

sobrang hirap po talagang makipag

communicate kapag po yung

parents niyo po pareho pa po sila

na deaf and mute. Sobrang hirap

po talaga since ayun nga po

informal po yung sign language

namin ganyan sobrang hirap po

talagang mag kaunawaan po”

P4: “Siguro po bilang anak, may

mga times na parang gusto nating

mag kwento ganyan and uhm may

times po kasi na ang hirap

mai-convey yung gusto nating

Can't Expressed
sabihin. Ako po bilang anak
Thoughts
nahihirapan po akong i-convey

kung ano yung gusto kong ikwento

and syempre po tiyaka na nakikita

ko din po na nahihirapan din po sila

kung paano nila maipaparating

yung message nila saakin and ah

ang after po nun nahihirapin din

akong i-transcribe kung ano ba

 yung gusto nilang iparating ganyan

so ayun po”

P5: "Not at all. Since we No difficulty

studied the sign language in a

formal way it actually helps to

make it easier for us to

understand each other but of

course there are times that I

slipped some signs but it is

just very minimal"

: "Ahmm I think this only

happens when I am being

emotional, I don't know how Can't Expressed

am I going to express it to Thoughts

them in a way that they won't

misinterpret or overthink with

the emotions I am trying to

show"

2. Language Acquisition 
2.1. Do you P1: “Uhm… yes po I think I can still Able to recall

recall/remember how you recall.”

learned to speak? Yes or

No. (Naalala mo ba kung

P2: “Opo, si nanay (lola) nagturo Able to recall
paano ka natutong
sa akin”
magsalita? Oo o Hindi.)
P3: "Hindi na po masiyado, pero Able to recall

ang sabi po ng lola ko parang

delayed na po ako nakapagsalita

para sa edad ko daw po nun,

parang mga 5 years old na po daw

ako nun pero wala pa po ako

nabubuong salita ng malinaw kasi

ginagaya ko daw po sila mama at

papa, yung mga sound po na

ginagawa nila."

P4: “Hmm… Ah… yes po. Ah, bale Able to recall

nakukwento lang po, ganun.”

P5: "Yes I still remember it Able to recall

clearly with the help of my

aunt"

2.2. Did someone tell you P1: “Uhm. Yes, I believe it was my Mama and papa ( verbal

what was your first spoken auntie…if i’m not mistaken, the and sign language -

word? What was the word words were mama and papa (while Mother and Father)

doing sign language)”

and who told you? (May

nakapagsabi ba sayo kung

ano ang pinakauna mong P2: “Wala po ehh” None

sinabing salita? Ano ito at

P3: "yung lola ko po ano sabi nya Lala (Grandmother)
sino ang nagsabi?)
sabi ko daw lala parang lola po

ganun kasi parang ang naging

thinking ko nun bilang bata pag

verbal language sina lola yun pag

sign language naman sina mama

yun kaya siguro ang naging first

word ko ay lala imbes na mama at

papa"

P4: “Ayan, so… hmm. Based po Mama and Papa (Mother

dun sa mga kwento po nung lolo and Father)

ko before ganyan. Since, mga

nag-uusap naman po kami. So,

yung first– ahh…word po na

natutunan ko pong ah, bigkasin is

yung “mama” and “papa” So kahit

po, kumbaga syempre diba deaf

and mute po yung parents ko yun

pa rin po yung una kong natutunan.

Hmm… ah… ayun po.”

 P5: "Yes. My aunt. According Dada and mama (Mother

to her it is dada and then on and Father)

the same day I also said

mama"

2.3. Did someone teach P1: "Actually po, growing up I

you how to speak? Who? remember seeing my mom doing Aunt and other relatives

(May nagturo ba sayo kung sign languages po but I still don't

understand those messages. But
paano magsalita? Sino?)
with verbal communication I

believe my aunt and other relatives

are the people who taught me how

to speak."

P2: “Si nanay (lola)” Grandmother

P3: "Natatandaan ko po na Grandmother & cousin

tinuturuan po ako ni lola ng

abakada bago po siya mawala,

kaya masasabi ko pong siya po

ang nagturo sakin magsalita. Tapos

nung nawala na po si lola, yung

pinsan at ibang kamag anak ko na

po ang nagturo sakin hanggang sa

paglaki ko po."

P4: “Ayan, so. Yung nagturo po Grandfather

sa’kin pano mag salita is…my…

ah, yung grandfather ko po. Tutal

siya lang din naman po yung

kasama ko sa bahay no’n na

nakakapagsalita po so, siya na po

yung nagturo po sa’kin then,

ah…syempre po nung mga

nagkakaedad na po ayan,

pumapasok na po ako sa school

kung saan ayun, nandun na po

yung teachers, ganyan.”

P4: “Yes. Yes po.”

P5: "Both verbal and sign Auntie

language are learned with the

help of my aunt. She taught

me the words and then she

also translated it into sign

language. So, I speak and

then sign language"

2.4. From your experience, P1: “I use Sign Language book

what were the reasons that together with my mom…Also, I

attend formal school for learning Book
helped you to learn your
sign language”
first language? What are

they? (Sa iyong karanasan,

P1: “It’s alright. Masaya, since
mayroon bang mga bagay
nakakatulong din ako sa ibang deaf
na nakatulong sayo upang
as a translator.” Happiness and fulfilling
matutong magsalita at

makaintindi? Ano-ano ang

mga bagay na iyon?)

2.4.1. How did these

reasons help you to learn

your first language? Please

explain. (Paano P2: “Libro po, mga wattpad.” Reading story books

nakaapekto ang mga

bagay na iyong nabanggit P2: “Natuto ako slight parang

upang matutong magsalita moderate lang” Moderately Learning

at makaintindi?
P3: "Yung pagtuturo po sa akin ng Teaching of Relatives,
Ipaliwanag.)
lola ko na magbasa. Tsaka siguro reading books, listening

po yung mga pakikinig ko ng to stories and watching

kwento, pagbabasa ko at cartoons on television.

panunuod ko po ng TV. Yung

pinsan ko po kasi lagi nya ako

binabasahan ng mga story book

minsan naman ako po nagbabasa

nun, minsan rin po nanunuod kami

ng mga cartoons sa TV."

P3: "Parang dahil po dun mas

natutunan ko po paano ang

tamang pagbigkas ng mga salita at

kung ano yung ibig sabihin ng mga

ganung salita ganun"

Learning by Realizations

P4: “Ayan, so. Kung may mga Teaching of Relative,

bagay po na ahm, masasabi kong Living Environment, and

talagang nakatulong po sa’kin para Watching Television

matutong magsalita at makaintindi,

ahh. Number one po dun is yung

pagtuturo po sa’kin ng lolo ko na

talagang…ah, hindi niya po, hindi

po talaga siya nagsawang turuan

ako at para syempre po sa’kin

makaintindi and, pangalawa po

siguro is yung sa kapaligiran ko po,

kung saan nakakarinig po ako ng

mga nag-uusap…kung saan

naiintindihan ko po kung ano yung

mga pinag-uusapan nila…and of

course yung television po. Ahh,

kung saan mas nakakaintindi po

ako kasi diba may mga palabas

naman po sa TV na ahh…very

informative. Ganyan po, lalo na sa

mga bata.”

P4: “Ayan so, masasabi ko pong

talagang..ahh.. Nakaapekto po

yung mga bagay na yun. Yung

environment ko po, yung

technology para dun sa pagkatuto

Learning by Realizations
ko pong magsalita and

makaintindi… Siguro, ahh, mas.

Syempre po mas narerealize ko

na, okay ito pala yung tamang

pagbanggit dun and dapat…

kumbaga, tamang pronunciation…

ah, ito pala dapat yung

pinakaibig-sabihin nun. Parang

mas nacoconfirm ko po sa sarili ko

na tama ba talaga yung

pagkakaintindi ko or parang may

mali ba? Or ano ba yung kulang

pa? Ganon, so. Parang ayun, mas

tumagal parang mas narerealize–

narerealize ko po na. Ahh, may

mga bagay na kailangan pa pala

ng mas…ahh, kumbaga… further

na explanation. Kung saan mas

natutunan ko naman po yun nung

pumasok na po ako sa school

ganun.”

P5: "With verbal Communication with

communication I think relatives and formal

speaking with my relatives is schooling

one of the factors that really

helps me learn how to speak.

With the sign language,

attending on a formal

schooling really helps a lot

since you really get to focus"

: "With verbal

communication through my Learning by

relatives, it helps me so I get Communication and
to practice my communication Formal Schooling
skills, vocabulary, and
 pronunciation. While formal

schooling helps me to

understand sign language and

the deaf community much

better."

3. Barriers

3.1. From your experience, P1: “For me no po. Kasi sa case ko No difficulty

did you have difficulties po nandan naman po yung ibang

learning how to speak and family (member) ko…ginaguide

naman nila ako ever since…they
comprehend because of
have been very supportive to me”
your parents’ condition?

Yes or No. Why? (Sa iyong

P1 : “so far po no difficulties in
karanasan, nahirapan ka
learning first language” No difficulty in learning
bang matutong magsalita
first language
dahil sa kalagayan ng
P1: “Sa pagmamahal ko po sa
iyong magulang? Oo o mother ko and sa family ko.”
Love
Hindi. Bakit?)
P2: “Minsan oo kasi lagi akong Sometimes experienced

nabubully” difficulty

3.1.1. What was the most

difficult part of learning how P2 : “Yung na bu-bully po ako” Being bullied

to speak and comprehend?

(Ano ang pinakamahirap P2: “Hindi ko nalang pinapansin” By ignoring

na bahagi ng pagkatuto ng P3: "Opo. Medyo nahihirapan po Sometimes difficulty

pagsasalita at pag-intindi?) ako kasi sa kanila sign language

tapos sa iba salita talaga. Kaya

parang ang nangyari po ay hindi ko

alam anong way ng communication

3.1.2. How did you
ba ang dapat ko matutunan? Sign
overcome the difficulties
ba or verbal at may pagkakaiba po
that you mentioned?
ba yung dalawa? Ganyan po yung
(Paano mo nalampasan
parang mga naging struggle ko.
ang mga mahihirap na

sitwasyong iyong P3: "Yun nga po kasi bilang bata

nabanggit?) parang naguguluhan pa po ako sa

sitwasyon. Na yung ibang Confused with verbal

nakakausap ko talaga (verbally) and nonverbal
tapos yung mga magulang ko sign communication
language kaya parang hindi ko

maintindihan ano ba talaga yung

tama at dapat? Pagsasalita ba o

sign language."

P3: "Habang lumalaki ako, mas

naiintindihan at natatanggap ko

yung sitwasyon lalo na sa

magulang ko. Dahil dun parang

naintindihan ko na walang tama o

mali sa pakikipag communicate Through experience and

verbal man o sign basta ang time

mahalaga nagkakaintindihan"

P4: “Ahm, yes po...So, nakwento There is difficulty

po sakin to ng lolo ko before…

dahil nga po ganun yung parents

ko, deaf and mute po sila…

nahihirapan po talaga akong

matutong magsalita kahit may

guide ng lolo ko. Actually, uhm

nabanggit nga po sakin ng lolo ko

na ilang taon na rin ba ako no’n

bago makapag-matutong magsalita

and kahit may help ng lolo ko, nong

tv. May hirap pa rin ako dun kasi

syempre di ganon katibay yung

foundation. Hindi ganon kaayos

yung environment kung nasan

ako.”

P4: “Siguro po sa pagsasalita kung

tama yung sinasabi ko… kung

Difficulty in expressing
tama ba talaga yung gusto kong
thoughts and
iparating…ganyun po…Pero dun
understanding feedback
naman po sa pagkakaintindi,
both verbal and
parang… sabihin na nating verbally nonverbal

po no, mahirap po kasi dun sa part communication

na maiisip niya na tama ba yung

pagkakaintindi ko dun sa sinabi

niya, tama ba yung pagkakaintindi

ko sa bagay na yon…or may

kulang ba kasi parang… kung

verbally kumpleto yung salita

don… And dun naman po sa

parent ko po, sa kanilang dalawa,

mahirap din kasi wala akong

foundation, wala akong mas

natutunan lalo na kapag verbal”

P4:”Siguro paano nalampasan or

kahit ngayon paano ko pa rin siya

nilalampasan yung mga mahihirap

na sitwasyon na nabanggit ko is

pagtagal naman matututunan din

ka-jit papaano. Kailangan i-try mo

Through perseverance,
lang din talaga, try ka lang nang
experience and time
try… Kung nahihirapan ka dun sa

pag-intindi at pagsasalita, wala

namang magbabago kung tumigil

na lang din tayo. Siguro para mas

malampasan natin, hanap tayo ng

pwedeng solusyon ”

P5: "No. Not at all. Aside from No difficulty

my aunt who has been there

since then to help me, I did

not experience difficulty in

learning how to speak. She is

very hands on in teaching me

how to read, write and of

course to speak."

P5: "I don't remember Accepting the situation

experiencing any difficulties in

learning. Ahmm maybe

because I am privileged with

my relative's capabilities in

teaching me. Also, the

privileged in attending formal

schooling since I know that

not all of us who has a deaf

parents are capable in doing

so. But I think if there's one, I think

before I had a hard time accepting

our situation."
 P5: "Like what I said I did not Through formal

encounter any difficulties. But, schooling, love and

if I do so, I think I could get support of family.

through it is because of formal

schooling of sign language and of

course with the help of

my relatives who's there for

me ever since also my love

for my parents"

1. Communication At Home

1.1. Who do you often communicate with at home? (Sino ang madalas

mong nakakausap sa bahay?)

The interview shows, when it comes to the participants' communication at

home they have different answers on who they most often communicate with.

Answers are with immediate family like mother, father, siblings, and grandfather

and grandmother and with extended family or relatives like aunt and cousin living

with them at home.

1.2 How often do you speak with your parents at home? (Gaano kadalas

kayong nag-uusap ng iyong magulang sa bahay?)

The qualitative data shows that most of the participants are always

speaking with their parents at home. Though there are 2 participants who
seldomly speak with their parents. Still, the majority of the participants often

speak with their parents at home.

1.2.1. How do you speak with your parents at home? (Paano kayo

nag-uusap ng magulang mo sa bahay?)

The interview shows that all of the participants speak with their

parents at home using both verbal and nonverbal communication at home.

All of them speak with parents at home with the combination of both verbal

communication and sign language.

1.3. Is it difficult to understand your parents when you speak to each

other? (Nahihirapan ka bang intindihin ang iyong mga magulang kapag

kayo ay nag-uusap?)

The interview shows 3 of the participants are experiencing difficulty when

speaking with their parents. While the other 2 participants answered, they are not

experiencing such difficulties speaking with their parents.

1.3.1. Which part of your conversation are you having difficulty with?

Why? (Saang bahagi ng inyong pag-uusap ka nahihirapan? Bakit?)

The qualitative data shows that the participants' answers are

divided into two. 3 of the participants answered having difficulty speaking

with their parents when it comes to expressing their thoughts. While the
 other 2 participants answered they are having difficulty using informal sign

language when speaking with their parents.

2. Language Acquisition

2.1. Do you recall/remember how you learned to speak? Yes or No. (Naalala

mo ba kung paano ka natutong magsalita? Oo o Hindi.)

The findings show that all participants in the study answered they were

able to recall how they learned to speak.

2.2 Did someone tell you what was your first spoken word? What was the

word and who told you? (May nakapagsabi ba sayo kung ano ang

pinakauna mong sinabing salita? Ano ito at sino ang nagsabi?)

The findings show that 3 of the participants answered that the first spoken

word they learned is ‘mama and papa’ and the other participant answered ‘lala’

or grandmother. While the other one answered, no one told her what was her first

spoken word.

2.3. Did someone teach you how to speak? Who? (May nagturo ba sayo

kung paano magsalita? Sino?)

 The findings show that most of the participants were able to recall and get

the first word they spoke from their relatives such as aunt, cousin, grandmother

and grandfather.

2.4. From your experience, what were the reasons that helped you to learn

your first language? What are they? (Sa iyong karanasan, mayroon bang

mga bagay na nakatulong sayo upang matutong magsalita at makaintindi?

Ano-ano ang mga bagay na iyon?)

The findings show that participants have different answers. Most of the

participants answered the reasons that helped them learn their first language is

through their relatives, books or by reading books, and their living environment.

The other answered that watching television is also a reason that helped them

learn their first language.

2.4.1. How did these reasons help you to learn your first language?

Please explain. (Paano nakaapekto ang mga bagay na iyong

nabanggit upang matutong magsalita at makaintindi? Ipaliwanag.)

The findings show that one of the participants answered it gives the

participant the feeling of fulfillment and happiness. The other participant

answered that it helped the participant to learn the first language

moderately or slowly. The other participant mentioned that formal

schooling helped him enough to learn first language effectively. While the

other answered that it helped them learn through realization. .

3.1. From your experience, did you have difficulties learning how to speak

and comprehend because of your parents’ condition? Yes or No. Why? (Sa

iyong karanasan, nahirapan ka bang matutong magsalita dahil sa

kalagayan ng iyong magulang? Oo o Hindi. Bakit?)

According to the data, three of the five participants had difficulty learning

to speak and comprehend because of their parents' condition, while the others

had not experienced difficulty in terms of speaking or comprehending.

3.1.1. What was the most difficult part of learning how to speak and

comprehend? (Ano ang pinakamahirap na bahagi ng pagkatuto ng

pagsasalita at pag-intindi?)

The data shows that the majority of the participants had experienced

difficulties in learning to speak and comprehend. Two participants chose

communication as the most difficult part of learning how to speak and

comprehend because they kept switching from nonverbal to verbal

communication; one participant chose bullying as the most difficult part; while two

participants did not encounter difficulties in learning how to speak and

comprehend.
 3.1.2. How did you overcome the difficulties that you mentioned?

(Paano mo nalampasan ang mga mahihirap na sitwasyong iyong

nabanggit?)

The findings show that two of the participants overcame their

challenges by being persistent and used to their circumstances throughout

their interactions with their parents. Two of the participants say they

overcame it through love, but the other one adds that he also did it with

the help of formal education and family support. While the ones who

experienced bullying were able to overcome it by ignoring the situation.

Themes

From the significant statements from the findings of the qualitative data, the following

themes emerged:

1. Family as the immediate communicator

2. Sign Language as a means of communication with parents

Theme 1: Immediate family as the primary communicator

The primary finding that emerged regarding their communication at home

was their Family as the immediate communicator. The first question the researchers

asked the participants was “Who do you often communicate at home?” The participants

answered: siblings, grandparents, cousins, and parents, which can be identified as

immediate family.
 Dr. Hamka (2019) stresses the role of environment and immediate family in

child language acquisition. Children, who do not receive input or exposure to a

language, will not develop their linguistic ability normally. In the case of his participant,

since she lives with a lot of immediate families (there are eight adults altogether) and

gets a lot of exposure either in Indonesian or English (mostly from the researcher), her

linguistic ability develops a lot.

Theme 2: Sign Language as a means of communication with parents

Another theme that emerged from the data was “Sign Language as a

means of communication with parents”. Majority of the participants mentioned that they

communicate with their parents on a daily basis.They made use of both verbal and

non-verbal means of communicaton. However, the finding shows that the participants

who did not undergo formal study on Sign Language tend to be less communicative with

their parents. Moreover, those who did not undergo formal study on Sign Language, still

use their own-made Sign Language at home.

 Sign linguistics is inextricably linked to Deaf community practices such as

education and interpretation. Furthermore, there is a strong relationship between sign

language uses and practices on the one hand, and sign language structure and

research on the other (Meurant et. al, 2013). Furthermore, according to the University of

Washington's DO-IT Project in 2022, sign language is a form of manual communication

commonly used by deaf people. Sign language is not universal; deaf people from

various countries use different sign languages. Sign language gestures and symbols

are linguistically organized.

Theme 3: There was a difficulty in communication

Some participants experienced difficulty in communication. Those who have undergone

formal schooling do not seem to have struggled with their communication with their

parents; however, the majority of them did not undergo formal schooling, thus affecting

the ease of communication.

Notes:

Reco: study bullying/external factors, observation, economic status

Interpretation: Kuha RRL kay Erin tapos biological maturation

References:

Pestleanalysis. (2022, April 15). Social Factors Affecting Business. PESTLE Analysis.

Retrieved May 13, 2022, from

https://pestleanalysis.com/social-factors-affecting-business/
Moroe, N., & de Andrade, V. (2018). “We were our parents’ ears and mouths:”

Reflecting on the language-brokering experiences of hearing children born to

Deaf-parents. South African Journal of Child Health, 12(2b), 75.

https://doi.org/10.7196/sajch.2018.v12i2b.1499

Knight, T. (2013, December). Social identity in hearing youth who have deaf parents: A

qualitative study - ProQuest. ProQuest.

https://www.proquest.com/openview/1954f9b3a6267e6b07f672ba97ccdc06/1

Corrigendum for Hudgins et al. (2017) https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12741. (2018).

Ecology Letters, 21(11), 1752–1754. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13149

N., S. M. S. (2017, June 18). What is a BIOLOGICAL FACTOR? definition of

BIOLOGICAL FACTOR (Psychology Dictionary). Psychology Dictionary.

https://psychologydictionary.org/biological-factor

Shameem, T. (2015, January 2). The Maturation Theory. Tanvir’s Blog.

https://tanvirdhaka.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-maturation-theory.html

Dale, P. (2015, October). Why does parental language input style predict child language

development? A twin study of gene–environment correlation, Journal of Communication

Disorders, Volume 57, 2015, Pages 106–117,. Science Direct. Retrieved October 2015,

from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021992415000593

Djonhar, S. C. (2016, January 22). An Indonesian Child Learning Sentence Construction

| Journal of ELT Research: The Academic Journal of Studies in English Language

Teaching and Learning. Journal of ELT Research: The Academic Journal of Studies in

English Language Teaching and Learning - University of Muhammadiyah Prof. DR.

HAMKA. https://journal.uhamka.ac.id/index.php/jer/article/view/37

Fitriani, S. (2019). A Child Language Acquisition in Indonesian and English Language: A

Longitudinal case study. Register Journal, 12(2), 126–156.

https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v12i2.126-156

Saxton, M. (2018). Child Language: Acquisition and Development by Matthew Saxton -

PDF Drive. PDFDRIVE.

https://www.pdfdrive.com/child-language-acquisition-and-development-e196856885.htm

Lytle, S. R., & Kuhl, P. (2017). Chapter 27: Social Interaction and Language Acquisition:

Toward a Neurobiological View [E-book]. In The Handbook of Psycholinguistics (pp.

615–634). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118829516.ch27
Owen, Zoe (2014). The relationship between pragmatic language competence and

school exclusion: an interactionist perspective. University of Birmingham.

Ap.Ed.&ChildPsy.D.

Creswell, J.W.(2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five

approaches (2nd ed.), Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Yüksel & Yıldırım (2015). Theoretical Frameworks, Methods, and Procedures for

Conducting Phenomenological Studies in Educational Settings. Turkish Online Journal

of Qualitative Inquiry, January 2015, 6(1)

Creswell, J. (2013). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design (3rd ed.). SAGE

Publications.

http://www.ceil-conicet.gov.ar/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/CRESWELLQualitative-Inqu

ary-and-Research-Design-Creswell.pdf