BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF EDUCATIONAL AND BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL NEEDS AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

THIS THESIS IS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL NEEDS AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN PARTICULAR FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR BA DEGREE

Practice and challenges of using sign language as a medium instruction of among Yekatit 23 primary school Deaf students.

Prepared by Amanuel Endale

Advisor Bahirdar

Solomon Adane March , 2016

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

My profound gratitude goes to my Almighty God for providing me with knowledge, wisdom and strength of completing this project successfully.

In particular, I would like to thank the following officials: The special needs professional in Yekatit 23 Primary school , Mr. Fikadu W/michael, W/ro Lawayish, Mr. Demelash Ato Abel and all of the school community who went out of their way to ensure that I was able to establish the necessary contacts, gather a rich variety of data and have working space for processing the data collected during the study.

Secondly, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor Ato Solomon Adane for his scholarly postive guidance and I would like to thank all the special needs and inclusive department staff member and my classmate for their constructive criticisms through out the process of my investigation.

Content Out Line Contents pageAcknowledgements Chapter One1. Introduction1.1 Background1.2 Statement of the problem1.3 Objective of the study1.4 Significance of the study1.5 Delimitation of the study1.6 Operational Definition1.7 Assumption of the studyChapter Two2. Review of related literature2.1 Language in education2.2 Mother tongue in education2.3 sign language and Deaf culture2.4 Deafness2.5 Medium of instruction2.6 Teaching material2.7 Teaching learning environment2.8Chapter Three3. Methods3.1 Design of The study3.2 Population, Sample and Sampling Techniques3.3 Instruments3.4 Procedure of data collection3.5 Data Analyses Chapter Four4. Analysis and discussion of data4.1. Back ground of Respondents

Chapter Five5. Summary, Conclusions and Recommendation5.1 summaries5.2 Conclusion 5.3 Future directionREFERENCEAppendix AAppendix BAppendix C

Chapter One

1. Introduction

1.1 Background

From earlier recorded history gestures have been used for communication between groups of different languages and cultures. The use of formalized language of signs however has been gradual until the first attempt to educate deaf children was made. The public education of the hearing impaired using sign language began in France. In 1755 Abbe Charles de l Epee founded the first public school for the deaf. He refined and developed the language of signs into a full language from which the present sign language are derived (Berker, 2011)

children who are exposed to a sign language for the first time in late childhood or adolescence turn out to be less proficient sign language users then those exposed to sign from birth moreover deaf individual who acquire scam language (in sign or speech) during childhood never catch up in adulthood and do not attain native like proficiency in any language be it America Sign Language. (Goldin- Meadow and Mayberry (2001)

The types of sign language are varies used in each country, therefore, the legislators and governments understand the roles of sign languages in different ways. In some countries the rights of Deaf people to education and equal participation in the society are secured by legislation. In others it is forbidden to use sign language even in class rooms. (WDF) A deaf persons access to sign language and belonging to a Deaf community should not be denied or ignored by our governments. The first country in the world where sign language was recognized and passed into parliament was Uganda in 1995 as stated in World deaf federation. (WDF)

The current education system, especially in the choice of educational medium, follows the logic of decentralized policy. As result, over twenty nationality languages have been used as the language of learning in primary schools in different regions of the country (Hailemariam et al ., 2014) this is include sign language.

Thus, the present study will aim at assessing the practice and challenges of sign language as a medium of instruction in Bahir dar town in the case of Yekatit 23 primary school.

1.2 Statement of the problem

The statement of the problem of this study is to find out the practice and challenges of sign language as a medium of instruction in its various forms have any influence on academic performance among Yekatit 23 Primary school students; because many students, however refused to be convinced that their success in academic achievement depends on their medium of instruction according to many scholars.

The research confirms that linguistic isolation, the lack of deafappropriate teaching strategies, and an overdependence on teacher aides who have limited experience are the main barriers to success amongst children who are deaf (McKee, 2003)

The process of curriculum implementation has been described as a black box (OSullivan, 2002) in which challenges to implementation can arise. The complexities of and incongruent relationship between curriculum policy and its practice are indicators of the implementation problems (Elmore & Sykes, 1992).

Based on the above rational of the present study, the following basic research question are formulated

1. How is sign language offered as a medium of instruction? 2. What are the major challenges while implementing sign language as a language of instruction? 3. What are the current practice of sign language as a medium of instruction? 4.What possible action should be taken to improve the current practice of sign language as a medium of instruction.

1.3 Objective of the studyThis are the general and specific objective of the research

1.3.1 General objectiveThe general objective of this study is to know the practice and challenges of sign language as a medium of instruction and the major problem student with hearing impairment face while practicing sign language as a medium of instruction at Yekatit 23 primary school in Bahir dar town.

1.3.2 Specific objective

The researcher has prepared the following specific objectives to be accomplished in the actual work. Fulfillment of this senior essay will be enabling the researcher

To find out the challenge of student and teacher face while practicing sign language as a medium of instruction.

To know the present practice of sign language as a medium of instruction

To investigate the ability and experience of teachers and sign language interpreter.

To raise the necessary solution

1.3 Significance of the study

The study will contribute to understand practice and the state of Deaf learners using sign language as a medium of instruction and it would provide data regarding to their challenges of sign language practice as a medium of instruction.

Learning a first language such as sign language with consistent exposure to proficient primary language models has been identified as one of the best practices in supporting literacy development among children who are deaf and hard of hearing (Easter brooks & Stephenson, 2006)

This study is expected to come up with same findings and recommendations regarding using sign language as a medium of instruction at Yekatit 23 primary school. The researcher hoped that the result of the study will be helpful in the following major

It will decrease the challenges of students and teachers in their communication using sign language as a medium of instruction.

Giving direction to those who want to conduct further research regarding to this topics and other related area.

1.5 Delimitation of the study

The researcher was conducted to assess the practice and challenges of sign language as a medium of instruction. Hence, participant of the study will be all deaf students and primary school student in Yekatit 23. The main reason to study in this area is there is no school in Bahir dar town that give sign language as a medium of instruction and the main reason to restrict the study on Bahir dar town is because of the time and financial constraints.

1.6 operational definition

Sign language : A language that uses a system of manual, facial and other body movement as the means of communication, especially among Deaf people.

Deaf : A person who is not able to hear as well as someone with normal hearing hearing thresholds of 25 dB or better in both ears.

Challenge : The situation of difficulties in practicing sign language as a medium of instruction.

Medium of instruction : is the language used by the teacher and student to teaching and learning process.

Perception : The process by which people translate sensory impressions into a coherent and undefined view of the world around them. Primary language : is the language or are the languages a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best.

Hearing impairment :

Skill : is an ability to do something acquired through practice and learning.

Disability : is a limitation to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for the same age, culture, and education

1.7 Assumption of the study

The poor practice of sign language as a medium of instruction and challenges while teaching learning may affect the students academic achievement.

The researcher assumed that there may be a challenge in practicing sign language as a medium of instruction because of the teachers teaching experience and the student teacher ratio not well matched and there is low instructional material.

Chapter Two

2. Review of related literature 2.1 Language in educationFirstly, language is the instrument we use to communicate with others. But above all, language is also the instrument we use to think, analyses and relate to other people and our environment. Language is therefore the basis for self-awareness, for a sense of meaning and for intellectual development.(Collier & Thomas, 1997:39)

According to Professor Marc Van Language is the one criteria that differ human being from Animal. If someone asked you what separates humans from other animals, one of the first things that would probably come to mind is language. Language is so fundamental to human life that it's hard to imagine what life would be like without it. In fact, the original term for language referred to it as part of the bodylanguage is derived from the Latin word lingua, meaning tongue. Barnett highlights the inseparability of language from man when he says, Verbal communication is a condition of the existence of human society.

You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives. Clay P. Bedfordthe The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to thinkrather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men

Educational policy-makers are confronted with the challenge of having to ensure language education standards for the whole population of a country, while at the same time protecting the rights of those who belong to specific linguistic and ethnic populations. UNESCO stated that encourages countries to adopt mother tongue-based bilingual or multilingual approaches in education where relevant - an important factor for inclusion and quality in education. For UNESCO, multilingual education refers to the use of at least three languages in education: the mother tongue, a regional or national language and an international language.2.2 Mother tongue in EducationThe mother tongue is therefore an essential instrument during identity development. The child will develop his relationship with his parents, family members, extended family, friends, but also with his own past, future and own culture through the mother tongue. The mother tongue is even more important to children growing up abroad; it will give them cultural stability and will teach them to react to changes more effectively. The mother tongue will also provide a foundation for managing other languages, as the learning of other languages will happen through the mother tongue.(Collier & Thomas, 1997)Some educators argue that only those countries where the students first language is the language of instruction are likely to achieve the goals of Education for All. Research also suggests that engaging marginalized children in school through mother-tongue based, multilingual education (MTB-MLE) is a successful model (Benson & Kosonen, 2013; Yiakoumetti, 2012)

2.3 Sign language and Deaf cultureA sign language (also signed language) is a language which chiefly uses manual communication to convey meaning, as opposed to acoustically conveyed sound patterns. This can involve simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and Facial expression to fluidly express a speaker's thoughts.

2.3.1 Deaf culturesDeaf Culture is the heart of the Deaf community everywhere in the world. Language and culture are inseparable. They are intertwined and passed down through generations of Deaf people. The Deaf community is not based on geographic. The Deaf community is comprised of culturally Deaf people in the core of the community who use a sign language. (Joanne Cripps, 2015 )

Culture consists of language, values, traditions, norms and identity (Padden, 1980). Deaf culture meets all five sociological criteria for defining a culture. Language refers to the native visual cultural language of Deaf people, with its own syntax (grammar or form), semantics (vocabulary or content) and pragmatics (social rules of use). It is highly valued by the Deaf community because it's visually accessible. Values in the Deaf community include the importance of clear communication for all both in terms of expression and comprehension.

2.4 Medium of instructionThe medium of instruction is the language used by the teacher to teach. Teaching the language, or educational content, through the target language increases the amount of exposure the learner gets to it, and the opportunities they have to communicate in it, and therefore to develop their control of it.

The mother tongue could be used to explain the methodology and issues behind problems before switching to the medium. It is important to allow students to grow accustomed to the concept of learning in the chosen medium. This is because the more exposed a student is to the new language, the more he or she will learn. If the student keeps referring back to the mother tongue, he or she will likely not have the motivation to learn the new language. An immigrant to a new country may not understand the message conveyed through a medium of instruction because he or she cannot understand the language; but over time, with practice, he or she will start to grasp the fundamentals of the new language. (Esther Ejim, 2016)

2.5 DeafnessAs WHO stated Hearing impairment is the inability to hear as well as someone with normal hearing. Hearing impaired people can be hard of hearing (HOH) or deaf. If a person cannot hear at all, then they have deafness. Hearing impairment may be inherited, caused by maternal rubella or complications at birth, certain infectious diseases such as meningitis, use of ototoxic drugs, exposure to excessive noise and ageing.

2.6 Teaching materialThe power of the learning environment to influence and promote learning is significant and the learning spaces and learning resources provide important opportunities for students to

explore ideas and knowledge, collaborate, solve problems and develop knowledge and skills. the use of a variety of resources that enable the student to learn through a rich and varied selection of instructional materials. Such materials may include books, independent and guided readers, writing programs, e Learning and other technological resources, hands-on manipulative and other practical or specialized resources that support the subject matter and student learning outcomes. (ADEC)

The process of teaching and learning largely depends of the available teaching learning material Today there are a wide range of teaching aids which can be audio, video, books etcTeaching aid are those material that help the teacher explain better knowledge and help the student understand. Its like the picture of the lesson.

2.7 Teaching and learning environmentThe environment of a given school plays a significant role in the teaching and learning processes. This environment refers to the internal and external condition. The internal conditions include the classes and all other structures that assist in the learning. In areas where there is insecurity learners cannot concentrate in class.(mbito john kamau, 2013)

The environment does play a role in the teaching and the learning process of any subject. Home environment has an impact on what goes on schools. Hammer (2003) says parents can largely affect performance of children when they provide them with favorable study environment at home.

2.8

Chapter Three 3. Methods3.1 Design of the studyThe research is a mixed research design aimed at assessing practice and challenges of sign language as a medium of instruction in yekatit 23 primary school.

3.2 Population, Sample, and Sampling TechniqueThis study was conducted on Bahir dar town which is located in the west Gojjam , Amhara Region in Yekatit 23 primary school and the focus was given to grade 6-8 students. Because, the researcher believes that they would be better in maturity and understanding than those in the lower grade levels. there are 36 deaf students and 15 sample respondent and 7 special needs teacher were selected by using purposive sampling (Total population sampling) is a technique used in research which involves all the respondents in the study provided the respondents number is too small (Cohen & Manion, 1994)

3.3 Data collection Instruments In this study questionnaire and observation used as a data gathering method to assess the practice and challenges of sign language as a medium of instruction. the instruments help the researcher to combine their strengths and amend some of the in adequacies of any of the sources of data. That the researcher develop the data collection instrument based on the available literature. Thus qualitative and quantitative were used in the study.

3.4 Procedure of data collectionFor this study I was use purposive sampling specifically Total population sampling technique and I was use questionnaire and Observation and also I prepared a check list to my observation.

3.4.1 Questionnaire One of the data collecting methods used in this study was questionnaire. Thus, two different questionnaire were prepared for both teachers and students scale questionare and open ended question were prepared first in English subsequently; they were translated in Amharic and then in sign language (for Deaf students). 3.4.2 Observation The other data collection method that was considered during the study in classroom and outside classroom observation. It was used because the researcher can get the chanceto see the challenges in reality. Hence, observation was under taken while respondents were teaching learning activities and to examine how they can their teacher or sign classroom interaction situation and students language competence (see appendix C). language interprater. Therefore, three points observation check list was used to rate

3.5 Data analysesData gathered through questionnaire and observation were edited, categorized, tabulated, transformed in to frequency and percentages and transcribed. Analysis and discussion of data obtained in both quantitative and qualitative methods were carried out and integrated. The analysis and discussion were focused on data of major issues.

Chapter Four 4. Analysis and discussion of dataThis chapter deals with analysis, interpretation and discussion of the data findings related to practices and challenges of using sign language for instructional purpose.

In addition to that this chapter is grouped into 3 parts. So the first part of this chapter deals with analysis of respondents background. The next one is deals with analysis and discussion of data relation Teachers Interest and skill and towards the usage of sign language as a language of Instruction and the last one is Regarding the material accessibility, class room environment and Proffesional man power.

4.1 Back ground of Respondents

Table 1: Analysis of variable related to sex, age, grade, service year, Deafness onset and Mother tongue of the respondentsCategories Respondents

Teachers Students

F%F%

1SexM343%640%

F457%960%

Total7100%15100%

2Age>20 - - - - - - - - - - 15100%

21-30457% - - - - - - - -

31-40 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

41