Evidence-based pedagogy used to teach beginning readers braille in a mainstream setting: A scoping review

Abstract

Braille literacy enables equal access to learning for students who are blind or have very low vision in a mainstream, inclusive classroom. Teachers need to know which teaching strategies best support the development of braille literacy skills in beginning touch readers. A scoping review following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines was conducted to identify and synthesise the body of literature on braille literacy. The search criteria were peer-reviewed research publications focusing on pedagogy for teaching braille in mainstream Kindergarten to Year 4 settings to beginning readers with vision impairment, without other disabilities, who spoke English as their first language. The publication period searched was from 1975 to 2022. A total of 740 articles were identified. After screening for eligibility using the search criteria, 10 articles were included. A thematic analysis identified the overarching theme of evidence-based pedagogy and the sub-themes of uncontracted and contracted braille, the Learning Environment of the Classroom and Reading Instruction. There was limited research found on evidence-based pedagogy to support the sustained, systematic development of braille literacy in Kindergarten to Year 4 students with vision impairment. The scoping review identified one seminal US study that found braille readers were falling behind their sighted peers as more complex reading skills were not being learned at the same rate. Determining successful evidence-based pedagogy which will support the sustained development of braille literacy skills in developing readers will require a sophisticated research approach involving braille literacy experts and braille readers.