Experiences of Teachers of Deaf and Hard- of- Hearing Students’ in a Special Needs School: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

This study reports on the experiences of teachers of the deaf and hard-of- hearing students in a special needs high school for the deaf in Eswatini. The study adopted a qualitative approach and was exploratory in nature. Participants comprised of eighteen (n =18) purposively sampled teachers of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. They participated in individual in-depth and focus group discussion interviews on the teaching and communication aspects with deaf and hard- of- hearing students. Data were also collected through documents review. Credibility and trustworthiness of data were established through member checks. Data were thematically analysed for important meanings. Teachers reported to experience gaps in professional competencies to teach the mainstream curriculum for which they needed further education. Variation in sign language impacting learner engagement hindered teachers’ communication with the deaf and hard-of-hearing students and their parents. Teachers reported to have in service professional training needs which included collaboration, consultation, assessment instruments and language skills. The findings have important implications for policy and practice in educating the deaf and hard- of- hearing students and for interpreting previous research. There is urgent need for the country to consider having a standardized sign language which could enhance positive teaching and learning outcomes as well as social integration for the future lives of these students. Understanding experiences of these teachers from the lived cultural milieu are important for the design and implementation of programmes for supporting the deaf and hard- of hearing learners, their teachers and parents.

Teaching and Learning Aids to Support the Deaf Students Studying Islamic Education

“…Students with a mild level of hearing can still hear a little between a distance of one to 1.5 meters, and for the moderate level, the students need a loud voice in conversations while the students with a severe level can hear only loud sounds. In addition, deaf students cannot understand oral speech well if they do not use hearing aids, and only a small number can capture the meaning from lip movements, and they can also understand it through the remaining hearing residue that they still have (Ntinda et al, 2019).…”

Issues and Challenges in 21st-century Learning of Special Education (Hearing Impaired) in Islamic Education

“…Standard sign language helps to improve the quality of communication between teachers and students and, ultimately improve the quality of education and future life of deaf and hard-of-hearing students (Kayi et al, 2019). The use of sign language can attract hearing-impaired students to learn and improve their understanding in learning (Syar Meeze & Norlidah, 2017).…”

“…Teacher training institutions can also include special education curriculum specifically related to hearing-impaired as part of the teacher training curriculum to enable prospective teachers to have sufficient knowledge and preparation in dealing with hearing-impaired in the context of special needs schools (Kayi et al, 2019). This is important to ensure that novice teachers have basic knowledge related to special education and are more competent in implementing teaching and learning.…”

Activity-Based Teaching of Quran for Deaf Students in the Special Education Integration Program

“…According to Ahmad (2012), there are different levels of hearing impairments such as mild, moderate, severe, and profoundly deaf. Sometimes there are also a number of these students experiencing a variety of other disabilities other than hearing impairments such as learning disability (Ntinda et al, 2019). The combination of the various disabilities that a student may have requires the teacher to plan the lessons wisely and effectively.…”