The Use of Visual Art Forms in Teaching And Learning in Schools for the Deaf in Ghana: Investigating the Practice

Abstract

Students who are deaf typically lack the language of the hearing, even in written form. This hearing handicap presents serious academic challenges that require visual teaching strategies. Nonetheless, it is not clear whether visual teaching is practised in the various Schools for the Deaf hence the need to investigate its practice in the Schools for the Deaf in Ghana. A multiple site case study approach was adopted to investigate teaching and learning in five Schools for the Deaf in Ghana. The purposive sampling technique and a three-tier research strategy involving observation, in-depth interview and focus group discussion were used to get the accessible population and to gather data for the study respectively. The findings from this qualitative study revealed that although the deaf is a visual learner, visual teaching in Schools for the Deaf is not adequately practised in a way that meets the visual needs of the deaf. Therefore the need to adopt and modify new trends to meet the needs of deaf students.