Summary Report on 'Literacy development with deaf communities using sign language, peer tuition, and learner-generated online content: sustainable educational innovation”
Temas
Detalles
The pilot project was a multi-disciplinary collaboration between academics from the areas of applied (sign language) linguistics, ethnography, digital literacy and TESOL, together with deaf-led NGO partners in India and sub-Saharan Africa. The interrelated research questions revolved around how to implement a sustainable community-based and learner-centred English literacy programme for young deaf adult learners (research question RQ1), how to measure the effectiveness of peer tuition and a virtual learning environment (RQ2), and how to conceptualise the interrelated elements of the approach (RQ3). The project took an ethnographic approach drawn from Literacy Studies in order to explore with all participants their current practices with English literacy and develop materials based on authentic identification of need ('real literacies approach', Street, 2012). Underpinning this was a commitment shared with the transformative mixed methods paradigm (Mertens, 2010) towards social justice and the furtherance of human rights. Teaching interventions were implemented at five field sites across India, and a series of exploratory scoping workshops was conducted with stakeholders in Ghana and Uganda. The project employed five deaf research assistants (RAs) and five deaf peer tutors (PTs).