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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

English language, deaf students, Germany, instructional materials

College

Humanities

Department

Linguistics and English Language

Abstract

The principle question this research was to address is how instructors for the deaf in Germany are approaching English language and literacy development in deaf students. (The term deaf is used in this paper to denote both deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals). English language instruction is part of the standard curriculum in schools for the deaf in Germany as a prerequisite for students to receive the secondary school certificate of completion (RealschulabschlujB) or to take the college entrance exam (Abitur). However, language learning presents deaf students with significant challenges. Language in its spoken form is virtually inaccessible to the deaf which creates major difficulties in learning comprehension and speech production skills. The development of reading and writing skills is further complicated by meager or incomplete knowledge of oral language and as a result the relationship between spoken words and print is difficult to make. In light of these challenges, my expectations were that teachers of the deaf would modify language instruction for the unique linguistic needs of their students and that the primary focus of such instruction would be literacy.

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