Chapter 4 Deaf Children's Teaching and Learning
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A University of Sussex DPhil thesis Available online via Sussex Research Online: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/ This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Please visit Sussex Research Online for more information and further details TEACHING DEAF LEARNERS IN KENYAN CLASSROOMS CECILIA WANGARI KIMANI SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY FEBRUARY 2012 ii I hereby declare that this thesis has not been and will not be, submitted in whole or in part to another university for the award of any other degree. Signature: ……………………… iii Table of Contents Summary.........................................................................................................................ix Acknowledgements.........................................................................................................xi Dedication.......................................................................................................................xii List of tables..................................................................................................................xiii List of figures................................................................................................................xiv List of photographs........................................................................................................xv List of acronyms ..........................................................................................................xvi Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Purpose of the study ....................................................................................... 1 1.3 Background and Rationale ............................................................................. 2 1.4 Structure of the thesis ..................................................................................... 4 Chapter 2 Research Context: General overview of education in Kenya ................... 6 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 6 2.2 The status of disability ................................................................................... 6 2.3 The general current education status .............................................................. 6 2.4 Trends in the education of children with disabilities ..................................... 8 2.5 Deaf education................................................................................................ 9 2.5.1 Learning environments for deaf learners ..................................................... 10 2.5.2 Language of instruction ................................................................................ 11 2.5.3 Assessment for deaf learners ........................................................................ 12 2.5.4 Teacher training............................................................................................ 12 2.6 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 13 iv Chapter 3 Contextual information on the development of Kenyan Sign Language ...................................................................................................................... 14 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 14 3.2 The development of Kenyan Sign Language ............................................... 14 3.3 KSL as a subject for deaf learners ................................................................ 22 3.4 Training of teachers for special educational needs ...................................... 25 3.5 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 27 Chapter 4 Deaf Children’s Teaching and Learning: A Review of Literature........ 28 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 28 4.2 Definition of terms ....................................................................................... 28 4.3 Language and cognitive growth ................................................................... 32 4.4 Language and early literacy development .................................................... 40 4.4.1 Limited language that results in slow acquisition of cognitive growth ........ 41 4.4.2 Learning to read and write in a new language ............................................. 44 4.4.3 Learning to read and write in a speech-based language ............................... 45 4.5 Language systems, language development and education ........................... 48 4.5.1 Sign languages and manually coded sign systems ....................................... 48 4.5.2 Views on sign bilingualism and Simultaneous Communication .................. 51 4.6 Special education, Integration, and Inclusive education .............................. 54 4.7 Language and pedagogy for deaf learners.................................................... 61 4.8 Curriculum considerations and teaching approaches ................................... 67 4.9 Teacher characteristics for effective teaching and learning ......................... 73 4.10 Assessment and Learning ............................................................................. 74 4.11 Conclusion: The Conceptual Framework ..................................................... 77 Chapter 5 Methodology and Methods ...................................................................... 79 5.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 79 5.2 Methodological considerations – Ontology and epistemology .................... 79 v 5.3 Research Strategy ......................................................................................... 84 5.4 Positionality .................................................................................................. 87 5.4.1 My identity – Insider and Outsider .............................................................. 88 5.5 Case study Research Design ........................................................................ 90 5.5.1 Selection of cases ......................................................................................... 91 5.6 Negotiating Access ....................................................................................... 99 5.7 Ethical considerations ................................................................................ 102 5.7.1 Informed Consent ....................................................................................... 102 5.8 Methods of data collection ......................................................................... 104 5.8.1 Preparation of research instruments ........................................................... 104 5.8.2 Observations ............................................................................................... 106 5.8.3 Interviews ................................................................................................... 109 5.8.4 Collection of documents............................................................................. 114 5.8.5 Transcriptions ............................................................................................. 114 5.9 Analysis of data .......................................................................................... 119 5.10 Limitations of the study.............................................................................. 120 5.11 Conclusion ................................................................................................. 122 Chapter 6 Preparation for Teaching and Learning Social Studies ...................... 124 6.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 124 6.2 Learning environments in the units ............................................................ 124 6.2.1 Learning in a multi-grade setting ............................................................... 129 6.3 Textbook publishing and distribution ........................................................ 131 6.4 Learners’ use of textbooks ......................................................................... 132 6.5 Accessibility ............................................................................................... 134 6.6 Textbooks design and deaf learners ........................................................... 135 6.6.1 A lot of text ................................................................................................ 135 6.6.2 Illustrations ................................................................................................. 138 vi 6.6.3 Vocabulary ................................................................................................. 140 6.7 Ministry of Education approved