Strengthening teacher education to support deaf learners

ABSTRACT

Deaf learners are among the most disadvantaged when it comes to educational outcomes in South Africa. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to explore the educational needs of learners who are deaf and use the findings as a basis from which to strengthen their education. This research employed a qualitative research design, drawing on interviews with deaf learners, teachers, school management team members (SMTs) and parents. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings reveal that deaf learners have significant difficulty in communicating with their teachers, and that teachers of the deaf in South Africa are not sufficiently trained to understand the educational needs of their learners. Recommendations regarding the strengthening of training for teachers of the deaf are made.

KEYWORDS:

• Deaf education
• inclusive education
• teacher education
• qualitative research
• special education needs

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 In this paper we use the term ‘deaf’ (with a lower case d) to refer to deaf learners in general, and the term ‘Deaf’ (with the ‘D’ capitalised) when referring to individuals who see themselves as members of a linguistic and cultural minority, namely the Deaf community, where sign language is used and Deaf culture is followed (Ladd 2003).

2 Black African refers to one of four race groups defined under the Population Registration Act (Act no. 30 of 1950) during apartheid in South Africa (Black African, Coloured, White, and Indian/Asian). We make note of these categorisations here because of continuing inequality across the races in terms of – for example - employment, housing and access to adequate health care and education (Barbarin and Richter 2013).

3 The Department of Education in South Africa has since split into two departments: The Department of Basic Education and the Department of Higher Education and Training.

4 In South Africa, ordinary public schools are - in terms of the South African Schools, 1996 - required to admit learners with special education needs, where this is reasonably practical (DoE 1996). Special schools refer to ‘schools equipped to deliver a specialised education programme to learners requiring access to high-intensive educational and other support either on a full-time or a part-time basis’ (DBE 2014, 9). Full-service schools are ‘schools and colleges that will be equipped and supported to provide for the full range of learning needs among all our learners’ (DoE 2001, 22).

5 In South Africa the age range for Grade 3 is 9–10 years and Grade 4 is 10–11 years. The age range for Grade 12 is 17–18 years.

6 While the usual school leaving age for Grade 12 is 18 years, learners in school for the deaf often finish school later than this because of having to repeat grades. Indeed, as discussed in the literature review, the pass rate in schools for the deaf during 2016 and 2017 was well below the national pass rate. We acknowledge that including younger school learners in the study may well have yielded different results. On the other hand, the older age of the participants may mean they have more insight into their educational needs.

Additional information

Funding

This work was co-funded by the European Union and Christoffel Blinden Mission (CBM) under grant number P. 3394-EU-MYP.

Notes on contributors

Jane Frances Kelly

Jane F Kelly is an assistant director in the Policy and Research Directorate of the Department of Community Safety in Western Cape Government. At the time of writing this paper she was a research officer in the Disability Studies Division at the University of Cape Town, working on the Teacher Empowerment for Disability Inclusion project. In her role as research officer she managed the projects research-related activities and oversees the development of reports and publications. She holds a PhD in psychology, and her research largely focusses on supporting the resilience and well-being of marginalised groups through developing supportive structures within the individual’s environment.

Emma Louise McKinney

Emma Louise McKinney is a lecturer and researcher at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. She holds a PhD in Business Administration where she examined the employment experiences of people with a range of disabilities. After that she completed at post doctoral fellowship where she focussed on education and employment of people with disabilities in South Africa. Dr McKinney completed a M.Ed and B.Ed in Deaf Education, as well as a teaching degree in Foundation Phase education. She is an experienced teacher of children who are Deaf and those with additional disabilities working both in special schools, as well as mainstream schools. In addition, she has also been an inclusive education lecturer at two universities. Her research interests relate to Deaf education; inclusive education and mothers with disabilities. Dr McKinney has completed a number of evaluation reports for international organisations, including UNICEF and CBM, relating to children with disabilities in South Africa, Madagascar, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Namibia, Ethiopia and Tanzania. She wrote the section relating to the Monitoring and Evaluation of Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Shadow Report for South Africa, and is a person with a hearing disability.

Odette Swift

Odette Swift is the Principal at Fulton School for the Deaf in Durban, South Africa. She holds an MA (Linguistics) in Translation Studies where she researched the role of post-secondary educational interpreters in the South Africa context. She also holds a BEd (Honours) in Deaf Education and a BPrimEd. Odette is passionate about the rights of Deaf children to equal, quality education.