Methods and Challenges of Teaching English to Blind and Visually-Impaired Students at the Iranian Special Needs Schools

Document Type : research article

Authors

1 Department of English Language and Literature, Kish International Campus, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature, University of Tehran, Tehran

10.22059/jflr.2024.377172.1136

Abstract

Since inappropriate educational approaches and techniques prevent blind people from choosing fields of study that require foreign language skills, conducting research in the area of foreign language teaching to such learners is required. Thus, the present study was aimed at researching on the challenges and strengths of EFL teachers at the Iranian blind and visually-impaired schools and also the techniques and materials utilized by them. To this aim, considering descriptive-analytic method for the study, all EFL teachers at such schools in Tehran were interviewed and their classes were observed. Then, thematic analysis was conducted on the obtained data. The findings revealed that due to the lack of holding suitable training courses for the teachers by the Ministry of Education and the lack of adapted teaching materials, Grammar Translation Method along with the techniques and materials similar to what is used for sighted learners were utilized at the blind and visually-impaired schools. However, according to the recent studies, these learners have different social behaviors and learning styles. The study suggests to the relevant policy makers and experts to conduct more effective courses through re-evaluating the existing pre- and in-service training programs. Furthermore, it puts emphasis on the development of special EFL teaching techniques and materials for blind and visually-impaired learners and formation of expert inclusive settings with visually-impaired and sighted learners.

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References

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Journal of Foreign Language Research
Volume 14, Issue 3
November 2024
Pages 403-414

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