معرفی
Dr. Kate Rowley is a Lecturer in Deafness, Cognition & Language at University College London (UCL), where she also serves as deputy director of the UCL Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre (DCAL) since February 2023. A Deaf researcher raised in a deaf family in Cornwall, Dr. Rowley brings both personal and professional expertise to her work, maintaining active involvement in the deaf community. Her research and teaching focus primarily on language and literacy development of deaf children, with strong advocacy for bilingual education approaches that recognize both sign language and written/spoken language as essential components.
Dr. Rowley's educational background includes:
- Bachelor of Science in Deaf Studies from University of Bristol (2004)
- Master of Arts in Linguistics from University College London (2006)
- Master of Science in Psychology Research from University College London (completed with merit)
- PhD in Experimental Psychology from University College London (2018), with thesis titled 'Visual Word Recognition in Deaf Readers: the interplay between orthographic, semantic & phonological information'
Her research spans language acquisition and literacy development among deaf children, examining how deaf children learn and process British Sign Language (BSL) and English. Dr. Rowley has conducted significant research on language attitudes within the British Deaf community, regional variations in BSL, and the impact of external factors like face masks on deaf communication. Her work consistently bridges theoretical psycholinguistics with practical applications for deaf education.
Dr. Rowley's publication record demonstrates sustained focus on deaf language development across multiple dimensions, integrating experimental methods with community-based research to ensure practical relevance. Her recent work shows increasing attention to language attitudes, sign language variation, and the social dimensions of deaf communication alongside her foundational work on reading processes in deaf individuals.
Dr. Rowley has secured significant research funding, including leading the ESRC project 'Language Comprehension in Deaf Children' (2021-2024), which collected data from 200 deaf people across the UK. She is also collaborating as co-investigator on another ESRC project 'Understanding Variation in Reading Progress in Deaf Children' (commencing April 2024). She provides consultancy services through Language Wise Consultancy and develops language modules for professionals working with deaf children.
As an active community member, Dr. Rowley serves as governor for Hamilton Lodge (a deaf school in Brighton), maintains strong relationships with deaf schools in Southeast England, and regularly delivers training on sign language acquisition, cognitive development, and literacy intervention strategies. She is on the editorial board of First Language journal and serves as trustee for several deaf community organizations.
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