The Use of Audio-Visual Materials in the Education of Students with Hearing Loss

Elif Akay

doi:10.5539/ies.v14n7p1

Abstract

Learning is the process of restructuring mental schemas through adaptation to new experiences. Instructional materials help form a suitable and individualized educational environment for students with hearing loss while facilitating lexical development and comprehension of academic content. This case study aims to demonstrate the contribution of visual and audiovisual materials to the efficiency of the Social Studies Course for 4th-grade students with hearing loss. Findings of the study have been collected through video recordings of the lessons, validity meetings, the research log, realia, photographs/images, graphic organizers, and educational videos/documentaries. Data analysis demonstrates that the use of visual and audiovisual materials contributes substantially to students&rsquo; (a) comprehension of the questions and explanations, (b) participation in and drawing conclusions from classroom discussions, and (c) understanding of new vocabulary and concepts. Based on the results, it can be argued that the use of visual and auditory materials presented so as to cater to the individual needs of the students, together with various educational strategies, provides significant advantages in the acquisition of academic knowledge by students with hearing loss.

Highlights

Learning is a dynamic cognitive process involving the formation and structuring of new schemas through perception, interpretation and categorization of new information and experiences
This paper focuses on the realia, photographs/images, graphic organizers, and educational videos/documentaries among the visual and audiovisual materials used in the Social Sciences Course for students with hearing loss
The overall aim of this study is to examine the impact of the use of visual and audiovisual materials on 4th-grade students with hearing loss in the Social Studies course

Summary

Introduction

Learning is a dynamic cognitive process involving the formation and structuring of new schemas through perception, interpretation and categorization of new information and experiences. Instructional materials employed in the process are among the significant factors affecting the concretization and retention of concepts while enabling the formation of an active learning environment and the acquisition of new experiences (Whitby et al, 2012). Due to the latency in their language skills, students with hearing loss have a greater need for the concretization of academic information and terminology, first-hand experience of new information in a variety of contexts, and direct teaching of the instructional strategies (Karasu, 2020; Kyle et al, 2016). This paper focuses on the realia, photographs/images, graphic organizers, and educational videos/documentaries among the visual and audiovisual materials used in the Social Sciences Course for students with hearing loss

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Conclusion