Experiences of Science teachers on the teaching of learners with hearing-impairment in Lesotho secondary schools
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Date
2023
Authors
Molahloe, Maretsepile Relebohile
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
There is a global concern through the ‘education for all’ initiative that all learners, regardless of their disabilities, should be in school. This enables learners with diverse needs to study Science as a subject, which, according to different researchers, is a cornerstone for economic development. This subject also equips learners with the knowledge and skills that capacitate them as individuals to contribute positively towards their communities. However, research shows that hearing-impaired learners (HIL) lag behind and their performance in Science is not always satisfactory. The problem is implicated in the fact that very little research work has been directed towards Science teaching for HIL. For this reason, this study seeks to understand teachers’ experiences when teaching Science to HIL in Lesotho secondary schools. Opportunities to learn (OTL) and capabilities frameworks are used to guide this study. OTL variables are used in this study and include teachers’ beliefs about teaching approaches and learning activities that accommodate HIL. The inclusion of a capability framework is for studying the teaching approaches customised for increasing learning opportunities for HIL. The paradigm that was used in this research is interpretivism. This study also follows a qualitative approach and falls within a case-study design. The sample comprised of four Science teachers teaching learners with hearing impairment. The findings of this study show that the use of experiments is effective for teaching Science to HIL, even though they are time consuming in preparation and deliberation of the lesson. Teachers also believed that the use of information and communication technology (ICT) could not only improve their teaching of Science but could as well respond to the many challenges they encounter when teaching HIL. The study also indicates that teachers teaching HIL require different accommodative strategies, but due to different challenges and contextual factors HIL’s opportunities to learn Science concepts are compromised. The study concludes that, since HIL are taught like any other learners in their Science lessons, it’s imperative that teacher capacity building be provided to maximise the opportunities to learn Science for HIL.
Description
Thesis (Ph.D.(Curriculum Studies))--University of the Free State, 2023
Keywords
Science teaching, opportunities to learn, capabilities framework, hearing impairment