Search

Few studies exist on the early care and education (ECE) of children who are deaf in low-to-middle-income countries, and none examine the roles of deaf adults in such provision. A research base is needed to inform contextually sensitive "deaf-infused" models of ECE in such contexts that build on indigenous deaf community experience, knowledge, and local expertise. This paper discusses the development of ECE in Ghana in sub-Saharan Africa focusing specifically on the perspectives of deaf adults on their roles in ECE support and leadership. Seventeen deaf adults with different leadership and advocacy roles in Ghana were interviewed about their perceptions of ECE priorities in this context, and the role of deaf adults in the development and delivery of early support. The participants expressed diverse views on ECE for the children and their families and suggested ways of building capacity and leadership among deaf adults to support ECE for the children and their families.

This paper critically analyses the meaning and use of translanguaging as an inclusive pedagogical strategy in the context of a bilingual deaf education classroom where there are asymmetrical sensorial experiences of being deaf and being hearing, and different access to 'codified' (either speech or sign-language) resources. The pedagogical opportunities and constraints of translanguaging are examined through an analysis of the meaning-making resources among deaf and hearing interlocutors in face-to-face interaction. Using two short excerpts from an English class with two deaf pupils, a hearing teacher of the deaf and hearing communication support worker the authors analyse ways in which the modes of image, sound and speech, gesture and signing, gaze, body posture are coordinated in the spatial context for meaning-making. A multimodal and layered analysis of two short turn sequences describes ways in which modes are integrated and coordinated in the spatial layout of the classroom in ways that either facilitate or inhibit inclusive communication. Strategies for the analysis and deployment of multimodal resources that may facilitate the inclusive potential of translanguaging in this interactional context are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critiques the role of translanguaging in deaf education by examining how, and under what conditions, translanguaging practices can enhance learning and teaching. The paper explores the premise that translanguaging represents an additive view of bilingualism and multilingualism for deaf learners and offers an innovative departure from, and not a re-packing of, traditional teaching methods in deaf education. In this context, the additive aspects of translanguaging are conceptualised as ways of seeing and responding to the language resources of deaf learners and ways of teaching that recognise and promote bilingual and multilingual (sign and spoken/written) language skills. The innovative aspects of translanguaging are explained in terms of the focus on language as a social phenomenon, the emphasis on individual repertoires and attention to the mindful use of languages in the classroom. Examples of learner and teacher translanguaging are given that illustrate what translanguaging offers to deaf education in terms of understanding and supporting the language repertoires of deaf learners and for the development of pedagogy. The paper concludes by suggesting the conditions under which these benefits can be realised.

This paper presents a critical examination of key concepts in the study of (signed and spoken) language and multimodality. It shows how shifts in conceptual understandings of language use, moving from bilingualism to multilingualism and (trans)languaging, have resulted in the revitalisation of the concept of language repertoires. We discuss key assumptions and analytical developments that have shaped the sociolinguistic study of signed and spoken language multilingualism as separate from different strands of multimodality studies. In most multimodality studies, researchers focus on participants using "one" named spoken language within broader embodied human action. Thus while attending to "multimodal" communication, they do not attend to "multilingual" communication. In translanguaging studies the opposite has happened: scholars have attended to multilingual communication without really paying attention to multimodality and simultaneity, and hierarchies within the simultaneous combination of resources. The (socio)linguistics of sign language has paid attention to multimodality but only very recently have started to focus on multilingual contexts where multiple sign and/or multiple spoken languages are used. There is currently little transaction between these areas of research. We argue that the lens of semiotic repertoires enables synergies to be identified and provides a holistic focus on action that is both multilingual and multimodal.

This paper presents findings from an empirical study that investigated the learning experiences of deaf students in mainstream secondary classrooms, from teaching assistants' (TA) perspectives. These findings indicate that effective collaboration between mainstream teachers and specialist teachers of the deaf (ToD) is required to ensure appropriate expectations of deaf students to support improved outcomes. A qualitative, collaborative methodology was developed that facilitated a trustworthy approach to the collection of data to represent TAs' perspectives. The participants comprised 10 TAs, 5 mainstream teachers, 7 deaf students and 3 ToDs. Each TA had a minimum of three years' experience supporting deaf students in mainstream classrooms. The TAs discussed their experiences in focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. Interview data, generated by the other participants, served to validate the TAs' perspectives of their working contexts. Consideration was given to how the TAs talked about learning and the challenges they perceived deaf students encountered, with particular emphasis on specialist knowledge and working relationships in the classroom. The TAs were explicit in their belief that mainstream teachers were frequently unaware of the challenges many deaf students experienced. Analysis revealed the degree of collaboration between mainstream teachers, ToDs, TAs and deaf students, and the limited extent to which specialist knowledge informed pedagogical and support practices.

This article examines the interaction between deaf and hearing interlocutors in order to demonstrate how understanding (and misunderstanding) can be expressed and inspected through the situated use of multimodal resources. In this communicative situation, participants have asymmetrical experiences of being deaf and being hearing, and 'codified' (either speech or sign-language) resources are little shared among participants. The multimodal analysis of an interactional sequence between a young deaf child, her deaf friend and her hearing mother demonstrates ways in which participants use semiotic resources to take, execute and give turns in the presence of sensory asymmetries. The organization of turn taking in this sequence provides insights into the ways in which understanding (or lack of it) can be demonstrated, monitored and co-constructed by participants throughout the interaction. The findings demonstrate that turns offer a useful point of analysis for the recognition and inspection of signs of understanding in the context of sensory asymmetries but there needs to be a qualitative orientation to assessing this. This contribution to the research on situated multimodal sign-making underlines the need for the development of multimodal frameworks that can account for, and effectively document, situated meaning-making beyond 'codified/linguistic' resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines policies and practices of inclusive education for young deaf children in Ghana. Though existing Government policy promotes the principles and implementation of educational inclusion of all children in Ghana, caregivers often encounter significant challenges ensuring access to early years' education for their deaf children. We used Bronfenbrenner's (2005) bioecological systems theory and interviewed 15 educators of deaf children and 9 hearing-health clinicians, to capture different knowledge, experience, and perspectives on policy, practice, and inclusive approaches to deaf children's education. We ask: (a) How do teachers, clinicians, and caregivers connect to promote early childhood care education (ECCE) for young deaf preschoolers in Ghana? and (b) What resources and precarities are available to educators of deaf children and hearing-health clinicians in sustaining inclusive educational practices across urban and rural contexts in Ghana? We address these unanswered questions about the potential pathway to bring about changes in policy and practice in promoting successful inclusive education for deaf children in Ghana. Implications for national and international policy and practice of ECCE for deaf children are discussed and recommendations are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an overview of the research into deaf children's bilingualism and bilingual education through a synthesis of studies published over the last 15 years. This review brings together the linguistic and pedagogical work on bimodal bilingualism to inform educational practice. The first section of the review provides a synthesis of the research, addressing linguistic, cognitive and social aspects of bimodal bilingualism. This is followed by a focus on bimodal bilingual language experience and use in different learning contexts. These first two sections provide the context for the main focus of the review: education and learning. The third section reports on links made between bimodal bilingualism and learning with regard to deaf children's literacy development. The fourth section examines further research into bimodal bilingual pedagogies. The final section considers the theoretical and practical implications of the field to date in developing a contemporary model of bimodal bilingual education for deaf children. It also charts future research priorities.

This paper presents a flexible framework of principles for teaching critical thinking and reflective practice skills at the postgraduate level. It reports on a collaborative project between four UK institutions providing postgraduate programmes in deaf education. Through a critical review of current theories of critical thinking and reflective practice in higher education, the authors identified and constructed frameworks of principles for relevant skills. They selected a set of learning activities for the institutions to trial to target those skills. Students evaluated how successfully the activities promoted the skills. The investigators evaluate the methodology and provide a critique of the framework of principles. Findings reveal that the framework of principles is a robust model for the development, design and evaluation of bespoke learning activities targeting critical thinking and reflective practice skills.

This study examined different perspectives of deaf education practitioners on deafness and reading comprehension. This involved a full deaf education support team comprising teachers of the deaf, communication support workers, and deaf instructors from a UK citywide service covering early years, primary and secondary settings. Using a focus group methodology practitioners were asked to consider what reading comprehension involves for deaf learners and identify factors that influence success. Analysis of the focus group "talk" about deaf children's reading comprehension reveals commonalities and differences across different practitioner "voices" which shape different understandings of the reading comprehension issues. Themes which were identified as problematic, such as the processes of decoding and the role of sign language are drawn out as focus areas for further discussion. These findings provoke discussion of research, assessment and intervention approaches which better exploit the research-practice interface by incorporating the diverse perspectives that practitioners and other agents bring to the process. (Contains 2 tables.)

Decades of research on educational and basic scientific questions relating to deaf children have yielded a wealth of knowledge about how they learn and develop as thinking, social, problem-solving individuals. However, we currently lack channels for communication from teachers to researchers about the priorities in education and from researchers to teachers about scientific progress that might be effectively utilized in the learning context. As a result, research often fails to address educational priorities, knowledge gained from relevant investigations is rarely translated into practice, and decision-making is often governed by administrative expedience rather than evidence. To address this situation, this paper identifies the current research priorities relating to deaf education and research outcomes that appear likely to have a significant impact on the development of educational practice. Practitioner priorities also are identified, and explanations for the gap between research and practice are analyzed. Ways in which the gaps between research and practice can be addressed are proposed. The goal is to provide a catalyst for broad-based discussions about how to include teachers in educational research planning and create genuine and effective partnerships between researchers and teachers to enhance educational outcomes for deaf pupils.

A sign bilingual approach to the education of deaf children was first introduced in the UK in 1990. This paper reviews the growth of sign bilingual education in the UK and documents significant milestones in the development of sign bilingual policy and practice since the 1980s. This overview demonstrates how key issues in sign bilingual education have evolved and how priorities have changed over time and enables comparisons with contexts beyond the UK to be drawn. Current issues in sign bilingual education are analysed within our twenty-first century educational context in which both the advancing technology and medical understanding are providing new opportunities for deaf pupils and changing their learning and communication needs. Particular themes addressed include research into early literacy and also the role of sign language for deaf children with cochlear implants. From this analysis, new directions for sign bilingual education are suggested in terms of learning and teaching and a future research agenda.

A central feature of a sign bilingual approach is the use of sign language, and the associated role of deaf adults in deaf children's education. This project explores whether this approach is compatible with the goals of cochlear implantation, which are to maximise a deaf child's potential to hear and improve speech perception. There is no specific research into the of role sign language to support deaf children's linguistic and social emotional development post implantation and the notion of good practice has not been explored. This project focused on six sign bilingual educational settings to examine this issue in two phases. Phase 1 identified the distinctive features of sign bilingual provision in the UK. This provided a framework for phase 2 which investigated ways in which this type of provision addresses the language, learning and social needs of pupils with cochlear implants. Central to this was a focus on the participants' own perceptions of good sign bilingual practice for pupils with cochlear implants. The study provides examples of identified good practice and an insight into the benefits of the linguistic and cultural features of sign bilingual settings for pupils with cochlear implants. Appended are: (1) Classroom Observation Schedule; and (2) Interview Schedules. (Contains 1 table.)

Twelve parents of young deaf children were recorded sharing books with their deaf child--six from families using British Sign Language (BSL) and six from families using spoken English. Although all families were engaged in sharing books with their deaf child and concerned to promote literacy development, they approached the task differently and had different expectations in terms of outcome. The sign bilingual families concentrated on using the book to promote BSL development, engaging in discussion around the book but without referring to the text, whereas the spoken language families were focused on features of the text and less inclined to use the book to promote wider knowledge. Implications for early intervention and support are drawn from the data.

The study of deaf children's early literacy raises fundamental issues about their access to language, experiences of early interaction and literacy development. However, we currently understand very little about how young deaf children develop literacy skills given their exceptional linguistic circumstances. This review explores early literacy practices in the homes of young deaf children to identify the commonalities and differences apparent in spoken language and sign bilingual homes. The introduction of the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP), which is currently taking place, aims to diagnose congenital deafness in the first few weeks of life, followed by immediate involvement of a team of professionals with the child and family, including a teacher of the deaf. This provides a unique opportunity to explore early literacy practices in homes, and identify ways in which teachers and parents/carers can work collaboratively to facilitate deaf children's early literacy development.

Consistent evidence from research studies between 1980 and 2000 indicates that deaf children lag behind hearing peers (by 2 to 3.5 years) in mathematics. This study seeks to explore the reasons for this persistent underachievement by focusing on results from the National Mathematics tests taken in the UK by all 14 year olds. The study analysed a sample of test papers with the aim of identifying ways in which deaf and hearing responses to the test items differed and possible explanations for these differences in terms of access to the mathematics teaching, assessment and curriculum provision. Findings from the project led to preliminary conclusions regarding the range of national test entry levels for deaf pupils, the types of linguistic issues they encounter, the learning strengths they demonstrate and their experience of mathematics curriculum provision. The concluding analysis raises significant questions about deaf pupils' access to mathematics educational provision and more specifically about the deaf experience of mathematics learning and how they perceive themselves as mathematicians. (Contains 5 tables.)

This article focuses on the complex dynamics and the practical demands of teaching English to deaf children for whom British Sign Language (BSL) is a preferred/dominant language. A model focusing on the relationship between English and BSL is presented, and implications for curriculum and teaching methods are drawn. (DB)