Voices of Teachers Teaching Primary Learners with Hearing Impairment in a Special School in Eswatini

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the voices of teachers teaching primary learners with hearing impairment in a special school in Eswatini. The sub-objectives were to establish the challenges that were encountered by teachers teaching learners with hearing impairments in Eswatini; and to identify the intervention strategies that can be used to overcome the challenges of teaching learners with hearing impairment in special school. The study was qualitative in its approach, and case study design was used. Purposeful sampling was used to select a sample of fifteen participants comprising 13 teachers and 2 administrative teachers. The researcher used a semi-structured interview guide and focus group discussions as her primary tools for data collection. The administrators were interviewed while the 13 teachers were placed in two focus group discussions. The study revealed that the learners were struggling to understand the content of the current curriculum. The study also revealed that there was lack of collaborative materials appropriate for effective teaching of learners with hearing impairment. The findings of the study revealed that some of the key challenges encountered by teachers were overcrowded classroom; unstable curriculum; and lack of equipment.

Keywords: Hearing impairment, collaborative materials, teachers’ attitudes.

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-34-09

Publication date: December 31^st 2019