Background and Aim: In different language approaches, reading is considered as a major skill. Language skills comprising listening, speaking, reading and writing are completely interlinked with each other. Thus, providing active application of listening and speaking skills, children will learn reading and writing skills easily. The aim of this research was to compare reading skills of hearing-loss students studying at exceptional schools with normal students of different degrees.
Methods: The research was conducted post-traumatically using standardized 2006 PIRLS test. 80 students in fifth grade of exceptional primary schools, and first and fourth grade of exceptional high schools in Tehran City who had severe and or profound hearing loss were randomly selected along with 80 normal students in ordinary schools who were selected using available sampling method.
Results: There were significant differences between reading comprehension of hearing-loss and normal students of all three grades (p<0.001). Reading comprehension in female students was significantly higher than the male ones (p<0.001). There were not any significant differences in mean reading comprehension scores of hearing-loss students in different grades which demonstrate that their reading skills had not developed in tandem with their age and school educations.
Conclusion: This study shows that one of the significant concerns regarding hearing-loss students is their reading comprehension ability. Considering reading ability as one of the most important acquisitive abilities which students learn at school, evaluation of reading skills of hearing loss students as well as recognition of their strengths and weaknesses in this field is indispensable.