Teaching EFL and ESL to deaf and hard of hearing students

Abstract

The purpose of this research synthesis was to identify and report the effective methods and strategies used in EFL and ESL classrooms to teach deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) students. For this exploratory bibliographical research synthesis, twenty-nine articles retrieved from online databases were used. Regarding the criteria considered to integrate articles in this study, the articles could be either quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods in nature. Furthermore, studies conducted in different levels of education were analyzed. It is important to mention that the articles taken into account were published within the last twenty-seven years, which considering the focus of this research, is a relatively appropriate timeframe. According to the objectives of this research, the different EFL and ESL methods and strategies were analyzed, as well as their corresponding modifications by the teachers, and lastly the perceptions of the educators and students towards the modified EFL and ESL methods. The research synthesis results showed that the most effective method in the EFL/ESL classroom to be modified and used with D/HH students was primarily the Grammar Translation Method. Furthermore, the results showed that the least used methods were EFL/ESL methods Whole Language Teaching, Multisensory Approach, Natural Approach, TPR, and Visual-Spatial Approach. In addition, the EFL/ESL methods that were modified and applied presented more positive than negative perceptions from both teachers and D/HH students. Finally, there were important recommendations based on the considerable amount of research gaps identified through the analysis of the data, which should serve for further studies.