Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education Advance Access originally published online on October 23, 2007
The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education 2008 13(2):193-214; doi:10.1093/deafed/enm051
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parental Involvement in the Habilitation Process Following Children's Cochlear Implantation: An Action Theory Perspective
University of British Columbia
 |
Abstract |
|---|
Action theory and the qualitative action-project method are used in this study to address and illustrate the complexity of parenting children who have received cochlear implants (CIs) as well as the intentionality of parents engaged in that process. "Action" refers to individual and joint goal-directed and intentional behaviors. Action theory has the advantage of using the perspectives provided by manifest behavior, internal processes, and social meaning in the analysis of action. Two cases are used to describe the individual and joint actions and projects, as related to parents' involvement in the habilitation process of children's postcochlear implantation. These joint projects are described at the levels of meanings/goals, functional processes, behaviors, structural support, and resources. From the rich descriptions and analysis of the cases, we draw potentially illuminative implications for the "current thinking" in relation to parenting children with CIs.
Correspondence should be sent to Anat Zaidman-Zait, Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology and Special Education, University of British Columbia, 2125 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4 (e-mail: zaidman{at}interchange.ubc.ca).
Received May 11, 2007; revised September 5, 2007; accepted September 10, 2007