Foreign Language Teachers’ Ideologies of Deafness and Teaching Practices for K-12 Deaf Students: The Case of Türkiye

Abstract

ABSTRACT Foreign language teachers face challenges in teaching foreign languages to deaf students because they often do not have specific qualifications to teach these students. This paper considers Türkiye as a case and examines foreign language teachers’ ideologies of deafness and teaching practices that these teachers use in teaching deaf students at the K-12 level in the country. The study applies a qualitative approach and uses semi-structured interviews as a data source. In analysing data, the study considers ideology, linguistic human rights, and forms of capital as theoretical concepts for theoretical triangulation. The analysis of interviews with eight hearing foreign language teachers teaching deaf students shows contradictions between teachers’ ideologies of deafness as a disability and their effort in teaching deaf students by adapting instructional practices to teach these students. The results of the study suggest integrating an ideology of deafness as a culture in education policies and preparing foreign language teacher training programs to help foreign language teachers understand deafness as a different culture and teach foreign languages to deaf students accordingly.