Qin, Xuewu
(2025)
Insights into the demographics and preferences of Chinese deaf and hard-of-hearing learners of English: A multi-modal approach.
PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.
Abstract
The field of second language acquisition has seen numerous empirical studies focusing on language teaching theories and methods for specific learner groups. However, despite recent research increasingly addressing the needs of students with disabilities, deaf and hard-of-hearing students still do not receive the same level of attention as their hearing peers (Cisźer and Kontra, 2020). Deafness or hearing impairment often results in limited access to language and information. Nevertheless, with modern technical hearing aids, researchers have highlighted the bimodal bilingual capabilities of deaf and hard-of-hearing students, underscoring their potential to learn additional languages. Grounded in the theoretical frameworks of multilingualism and plurilingualism, this thesis explores the demographic characteristics of Chinese deaf and hard-of-hearing students as English learners andtheir multi-modal language preferences in English classrooms.
This thesis addresses three main research questions: 1) What are the demographic characteristics of Chinese deaf and hard-of-hearing English learners? 2) What are the teachers' perspectives on teaching English to these students? 3) What are the preferences of deaf and hard-of-hearing students for multi-modal key words assistance during English reading tasks? To answer these questions, this exploratory research employed a mixed-methods approach, collecting both qualitative and quantitative data from a series of interconnected studies.
The thesis begins with a pilot demographic study involving fifteen deaf and hard-of- hearing high school students. This study utilized a demographic questionnaire to investigate participants' characteristics related to hearing loss, communication preferences, and experiences learning English as an additional language in a non- English-speaking country. The results revealed a heterogeneous population in English classrooms with Chinese deaf and hard-of-hearing students, raising questions about how teachers manage to address the diverse language backgrounds, communication preferences, and needs of these students. Participants also reported greater difficulties in English reading comprehension.
Building on the pilot study, a semi-structured interview study was conducted with four English teachers from various training backgrounds, who taught deaf and hard-of-hearing students in different educational settings. The findings illustrate how teachers' attitudes and beliefs about the needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing students, as well as the English language subject, are shaped by their knowledge base, which is influenced by their prior training experiences. Due to a lack of systematic traininginspecial education, deaf education, second language acquisition, and pedagogical strategies, it is challenging to conclude that the four interviewed teachers fully addressed the diverse needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Additionally, the teachers expressed a desire for teaching and learning materials specifically designed for this student group, leading to the design of a multi-modal reading interface in the subsequent experimental study.
The third study expanded on the pilot demographic survey. With modifications tothedemographic questionnaire used in the pilot study, the expanded study involved 83deaf and hard-of-hearing students, including 39 university students and 44 high school students. The results revealed even greater heterogeneity than the pilot study. Additionally, data from this study showed a positive correlation between the perceived difficulty level in reading comprehension and vocabulary among Chinese deaf and hard-of-hearing English learners.
Previous research indicates that deaf and hard-of-hearing students face particular challenges in vocabulary and reading comprehension (Perfetti and Stafura, 2014). In this third study, a reading interface was designed to provide multi-modal word assistance in English reading passages. An experimental study was conducted to investigate the multi-modal preferences of deaf and hard-of-hearing students and their acceptance of this tool as English reading support. The same participants from the expanded demographic study were invited to participate. Using a cross-design, this study collected three sets of data: the participants' mouse clicks on Chinese text translations and CSL interpretation videos, their answers on post-reading exercises, and their responses to an exit questionnaire based on the Technology Acceptance Model. The findings reveal the multifaceted nature of Chinese deaf and hard-of- hearing English learners. First, participants preferred Chinese text translations over CSL interpretation videos, regardless of their communication language preferences. Second, although the intervention improved overall post-reading vocabulary and comprehension performance, significant differences remained between the universityand high school groups, as well as among individual students. Third, high school participants were less positive than university students about using this tool to support their language reading experience, suggesting that students' attitudes toward multi-modal learning technology could be influenced by various factors, such as social backgrounds.
In conclusion, the findings of this thesis are significant for both research and practice. They address the lack of demographic studies on Chinese deaf and hard-of-hearing English learners and emphasize the importance of considering students' subjective roles in the development of learning materials. The research highlights that designing multi modal learning tools is a complex task, requiring careful consideration of interconnected factors, such as individual differences of students. Thus, it is crucial to involve students in the process to ensure that these tools are both effective and engaging, meeting the diverse needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing learners.
Actions (Archive Staff Only)
 |
Edit View |
Tools
Tools
