L I C D A . A N A B E L L E M O N G E S O L A N O

L I C E N C I A T U R A E N L A E N S E Ñ A N Z A D E L I N G L É S

M A Y O , 2 0 1 4

“ANALYSIS OF HOW STUDENTS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT

LEARN IN ORDER TO REINFORCE THEIR READING

AND WRITING SKILLS IN ENGLISH THROUGH ACTIVITIES

AND TECHNIQUES AT THE LICEO

DR. VICENTE LACHNER SANDOVAL”

INTRODUCTION:

BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM

People with disabilities vs. A complex and competitive world

Institutions that help people with hearing impairment:

• CENAREC (i.e., Centro Nacional de Recursos Costarricense)

• UCR (i.e., University of Costa Rica)

• ANASCOR (i.e., Asociación Nacional de Sordos de Costa Rica)

• CNEE (i.e., Centro Nacional de Enseñanza Especial Fernando

Centeno Güell)

Around 10 years ago: Asesoría Nacional de Audición y Lenguaje (MEP)

Liceo Dr. Vicente Lachner Sandoval: *Bicultural institution

*Two professionals in charge

of language and psychological

development

JUSTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM

• High School an important role satistaction

and self-esteem

of teenagers

• 7600 Law, La Gaceta, May 29th, 1995

same opportunities, quality,

rights and duties

• Students with hearing impairment learn by their visual ability.

• Teachers their learning styles to improve their comprehension

of a foreign lenguage

INSTITUTION:

LICEO DR. VICENTE LACHNER SANDOVAL

• In 1966, population from surroundings of Cartago

• 183 students at the beginning, now there are 1800 students

• Bicultural Institution in 2002 with two deaf students with one

specialist

• In 2008, ten students with two professionals in Special Education

• Currently, there are 20 students with hearing impairment and 5

English teachers

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Teachers, in The Dr. Vicente Lachner Sandoval High School, are not

taught how to teach students with hearing impairment

How this students relate symbols

and pictures with words and concepts

Creation of suitable activities or materials

to facilitate the learning process

Why is it necessary to study the reasons that students with

hearing impairment should reinforce their reading and writing skills

through specialized activiities?

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

• To analyze how students with hearing impairment learn in order to

reinforce their reading and writing skills in English through activities

and techniques at the Liceo Dr. Vicente Lachner Sandoval.

OBJECTIVES

• To identify advantages and disadvantages of the activities and techniques that English teachers use.

• To identify the learning strategies of students with hearing impairment to improve their reading and writing skills in English.

• To analyze the support and influence that the institution, family and classmates have in student with hearing loss when learning English.

• To analyze the impact of level of hearing impairment of students to select useful teaching techniques to make the English learning processes easier.

• To propose the reinforcement of the reading and writing skills through activities based on the Computer Assisted Language Learning approach.

VARIABLES

• Teaching techniques

• Learning strategies

• Support provided by the institution, classmates and relatives

• Impact of different levels of the hearing impairment

• Reading and writing skills

METHODOLOGY

• Quantitative and descriptive research

• Sources:

Students with hearing

impairment

Parents

English teachers

Articles and researches

Oficial English program

20 students:

7 in 7th grade

3 in 8th grade

3 in 9th grade

4 in 4th grade

3 in 5th grade

INSTRUMENTS:

Surveys, interviews and participant observation

Surveys: three different

open

questions

close

Observation: Participant observation

Interview: Conversation with students, some parents and teachers

Teaching strategies

Family support

Techniques

Contents

Technology

Access difficulties

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS

GRAPH NO.4: REASONS PROVIDED BY THE STUDENT TO ATTEND TO THE

LICEO DR. VICENTE LACHNER (%)

19

59

0

22

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Proximity to home

Special conditions for

ENAES

Economical reasons

Recommendation

Source. Table No.4

GRAPH NO.8: PRESENCE OF LESCO SPECIALISTS DURING THE ENGLISH

CLASS (%)

5

75

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

Yes No Sometimes

Source. Table No.8

GRAPH NO. 5: STUDENT PERCEPTION OF SUPPORT RECEIVED (%)

816

58

19 19

84 81

65

95

0

20

40

60

80

100

Staff Teachers Classmates Family

None or insufficient Regular Good or excellent

Source. Table No.5

GRAPH NO.6: IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT (%)

10

90

0

20

40

60

80

100

Important Very important

Source. Table No.6

GRAPH NO.15: PERCEPTION OF SUPPORT RECEIVED BY THE STUDENT (%)

21 165

32

47 53

42

32

32 31

5336

0

20

40

60

80

100

Staff and other teachers

Specialized staff

English teachers

Classmates

Insufficient Regular Good

Source. Table No.15

GRAPH NO.7: RESOURCES USED AT THE ENGLISH CLASSES (%)

89

63

41

11

37

59

0

20

40

60

80

100

General material Special material Tech resources

YES NO

Source. Table No.7

GRAPH NO.9: FACTORS THAT CAN BE IMPROVED TO FACILITATE THE

LEARNING PROCESS (%)

22

16

6

38

18

0

10

20

30

40

English teachers

Lesco specialists

General staf f

Inf rastructure, materials and equipment

Textbooks

Source. Table No.9

GRAPH NO.11: TEACHERS PERCEPTION REGARDING THE TEACHING

CONDITIONS AT CLASS (%)

17

83 100

Strategies are appropiate and sufficient

Technology should be incorporated

Totally disagree Somewhat agree Absolutely agree

Source. Table No.11

GRAPH NO.13: PERCEPTION OF USEFULNESS OF RESOURCES (%)

17

50

83

50

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

General didactic materials

Special practices and specific materials

Technologic resources

Unimportant Very important

Source. Table No.13

CONCLUSIONS

• Teaching techniques = inappropriate because teachers do not use

LESCO.

• Learning strategies students with hearing impairment have their

own learning strategies by themselves

• Support = insufficient because there sould be more teachers who

use LESCO, but they feel comfortable with the treatment of teachers

and staff of the institution

• Hearing impairment Students show different levels of English,

but the same accsess and communication difficulties in English

• Reading and writing skills this high school is bicultural but it

does not count with adequate infrastructure and material resources

to provide appropriate practice to develop reading and writing skills

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Teaching techniques: The English techniques developed in class

and aimed to the hearing impaired students must be strengthen by

providing specialized training in LESCO.

• Learning strategies: Teachers must analyze the successful

strategies that some hearing impaired students develop in order to

transmit them to the others in a intregrated way.

• Support: It is very useful to make teachers and staff of the institution

aware of the importance of providing more help to this students

through workshops, conferences, and integration activities.

• Hearing impairment: All the students with hearing impairment must

be treated in the same way, even though they have different levels

of deafness.

• Reading and writing skills: It is recommended to create a specific

space where the hearing impaired students can have basic tools to

learn based on their special conditions.

PROPOSAL OF LABORATORY FOR ENGLISH

PRACTICES OF HEARING IMPAIRED STUDENTS

GENERAL OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSAL

To create a classroom conditioned with technological equipment

aimed to the English learning of hearing impaired students

Specific objectives:

• To define and exclusive space for hearing impaired where students

can receive and develop English practices.

• To dispose the basic equipment required to perform English

practices based on the Computer Assisted Language Learning

approach.

• To provide training to the English teachers regarding the Computer

Assisted Language Learning approach in order to seize on the

infrastructure installed.

JUSTIFICATION OF THE PROPOSAL

• Not everybody learn in the same way

• Improvement of teaching and learning conditions

• Hearing impaired students need visual means

• Trained teachers

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROPOSAL

• Getting a physical space: a room with facilities such as lighting,

privacy, and electrical plugging. A table for 5 people.

• Hardware: to get at least 5 desktop computers by doing a bingo,

raffle or the request of a volunteer fee. Besides, a reduction of the

amount of sales taxes.

• Teachers training: a workshop about CALL with its corresponding

schedule

• Bibliography: Teaching and Researching Computer-Assisted

Language Learning by Ken Beatty and released by Pearson

Education, 2010, 3rd edition

THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION!