Perspectivas y creencias de estudiantes sordos y sus profesores oyentes acerca de la enseñanza del inglés como lengua extranjera en un contexto educativo formal.

Abstract

The impaired hearing community owns a particular way of communication that avoids the use of phonemes, for physical reasons, replacing the sounds for signs. However, the main problem impaired hearing community may face corresponds to learning a new language, particularly its written form. This study aimed to identify teachers’ strategies when adapting their classes to impaired hearing community learning processes. Students’ reactions were also considered. As an ethnographic descriptive study, Interviews, focus groups and field notes were applied as data collection instruments. Preliminary findings suggest that teachers' and students' opinions imply a tension one another. It has to do with students being excited about breaking the language barrier while teachers consider that neither impaired hearing students nor Colombian educational system are ready to face a new challenge in language learning.