Language education of immigrant d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing multilingual learners – an interview study

Abstract

ABSTRACT For newly arrived students who are d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH), language acquisition is particularly complex. The spectrum of initial language situations ranges from no first language to multilingual acquisition contexts. In Germany, there are currently no studies that focus on the education of these learners. This prompted an interview study with six teachers of the d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing, investigating how the language education of newly arrived DHH schoolchildren is designed from the perspective of their teachers. The results of the study, which is based on grounded theory methodology, show that teaching this target group presents major challenges. In the face of this, teachers are highly uncertain of how best to meet the needs of their students, as they have neither information on the language development of these students nor suitable assessment tools and language teaching materials to use in class. The results underline the need for (1) research on the language acquisition and development of newly arrived DHH students, (2) the development or adaptation of assessment tools and (3) effective teaching methods and materials, and finally, (4) the development of teacher training possibilities.