This document is a thesis written by Anabelle Monge Solano analyzing how students with hearing impairments at the Liceo Dr. Vicente Lachner Sandoval learn English. The thesis introduces the background of institutions that help people with hearing impairments. It identifies that teachers are not trained in teaching students with hearing impairments. The thesis analyzes students' learning strategies, support from the institution and family, and the impact of hearing impairment levels. It proposes reinforcing reading and writing skills through computer-assisted language learning activities. The thesis recommends specialized teacher training, analyzing successful student strategies, and creating an English lab with technology to develop reading and writing skills.

1. L I C D A . A N A B E L L E M O N G E S O L A N O
L I C E N C I A T U R A E N L A E N S E Ñ A N Z A D E L I N G L É S
M A Y O , 2 0 1 4
“ANALYSIS OF HOW STUDENTS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT
LEARN IN ORDER TO REINFORCE THEIR READING
AND WRITING SKILLS IN ENGLISH THROUGH ACTIVITIES
AND TECHNIQUES AT THE LICEO
DR. VICENTE LACHNER SANDOVAL”

2. INTRODUCTION:
BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM
 People with disabilities vs. A complex and competitive world
 Institutions that help people with hearing impairment:
• CENAREC (i.e., Centro Nacional de Recursos Costarricense)
• UCR (i.e., University of Costa Rica)
• ANASCOR (i.e., Asociación Nacional de Sordos de Costa Rica)
• CNEE (i.e., Centro Nacional de Enseñanza Especial Fernando
Centeno Güell)
Around 10 years ago: Asesoría Nacional de Audición y Lenguaje (MEP)
Liceo Dr. Vicente Lachner Sandoval: *Bicultural institution
*Two professionals in charge
of language and psychological
development

3. JUSTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM
• High School an important role satistaction
and self-esteem
of teenagers
• 7600 Law, La Gaceta, May 29th, 1995
same opportunities, quality,
rights and duties
• Students with hearing impairment learn by their visual ability.
• Teachers their learning styles to improve their comprehension
of a foreign lenguage

4. INSTITUTION:
LICEO DR. VICENTE LACHNER SANDOVAL
• In 1966, population from surroundings of Cartago
• 183 students at the beginning, now there are 1800 students
• Bicultural Institution in 2002 with two deaf students with one
specialist
• In 2008, ten students with two professionals in Special Education
• Currently, there are 20 students with hearing impairment and 5
English teachers

5. PROBLEM STATEMENT
Teachers, in The Dr. Vicente Lachner Sandoval High School, are not
taught how to teach students with hearing impairment
How this students relate symbols
and pictures with words and concepts
Creation of suitable activities or materials
to facilitate the learning process
Why is it necessary to study the reasons that students with
hearing impairment should reinforce their reading and writing skills
through specialized activiities?

6. GENERAL OBJECTIVE
• To analyze how students with hearing impairment learn in order to
reinforce their reading and writing skills in English through activities
and techniques at the Liceo Dr. Vicente Lachner Sandoval.

7. OBJECTIVES
• To identify advantages and disadvantages of the activities and
techniques that English teachers use.
• To identify the learning strategies of students with hearing
impairment to improve their reading and writing skills in English.
• To analyze the support and influence that the institution, family and
classmates have in student with hearing loss when learning English.
• To analyze the impact of level of hearing impairment of students to
select useful teaching techniques to make the English learning
processes easier.
• To propose the reinforcement of the reading and writing skills
through activities based on the Computer Assisted Language
Learning approach.

8. VARIABLES
• Teaching techniques
• Learning strategies
• Support provided by the institution, classmates and relatives
• Impact of different levels of the hearing impairment
• Reading and writing skills

9. METHODOLOGY
• Quantitative and descriptive research
• Sources:
Students with hearing
impairment
Parents
English teachers
Articles and researches
Oficial English program
20 students:
7 in 7th grade
3 in 8th grade
3 in 9th grade
4 in 4th grade
3 in 5th grade

10. INSTRUMENTS:
Surveys, interviews and participant observation
Surveys: three different
open
questions
close
Observation: Participant observation
Interview: Conversation with students, some parents and teachers
Teaching strategies
Family support
Techniques
Contents
Technology
Access difficulties

11. ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS

12. GRAPH NO
.4: REASONS PROVIDED BY THE STUDENT TO ATTEND TO THE
LICEO DR. VICENTE LACHNER (%)
19
59
0
22
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Proximity to
home
Special
conditions for
ENAES
Economical
reasons
Recommendation
Source. Table No.4

13. GRAPH NO
.8: PRESENCE OF LESCO SPECIALISTS DURING THE ENGLISH
CLASS (%)
5
75
20
0
20
40
60
80
100
Yes No Sometimes
Source. Table No.8

14. GRAPH NO
. 5: STUDENT PERCEPTION OF SUPPORT RECEIVED (%)
8
16
58
19 19
84 81
65
95
0
20
40
60
80
100
Staff Teachers Classmates Family
None or insufficient Regular Good or excellent
Source. Table No.5

15. GRAPH NO
.6: IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT (%)
10
90
0
20
40
60
80
100
Important Very important
Source. Table No.6

16. GRAPH NO.15: PERCEPTION OF SUPPORT RECEIVED BY THE STUDENT (%)
21 16
5
32
47 53
42
32
32 31
53
36
0
20
40
60
80
100
Staff and
other teachers
Specialized
staff
English
teachers
Classmates
Insufficient Regular Good
Source. Table No.15

17. GRAPH NO
.7: RESOURCES USED AT THE ENGLISH CLASSES (%)
89
63
41
11
37
59
0
20
40
60
80
100
General material Special material Tech resources
YES NO
Source. Table No.7

18. GRAPH NO
.9: FACTORS THAT CAN BE IMPROVED TO FACILITATE THE
LEARNING PROCESS (%)
22
16
6
38
18
0
10
20
30
40
English teachers
Lesco specialists
General staff
Infrastructure, materials
and equipment
Textbooks
Source. Table No.9

19. GRAPH NO
.11: TEACHERS PERCEPTION REGARDING THE TEACHING
CONDITIONS AT CLASS (%)
17
83 100
Strategies are appropiate and
sufficient
Technology should be
incorporated
Totally disagree Somewhatagree Absolutely agree
Source. Table No.11

20. GRAPH NO
.13: PERCEPTION OF USEFULNESS OF RESOURCES (%)
17
50
83
50
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
General didactic
materials
Special practices and
specific materials
Technologic
resources
Unimportant Very important
Source. Table No.13

21. CONCLUSIONS

22. • Teaching techniques = inappropriate because teachers do not use
LESCO.
• Learning strategies students with hearing impairment have their
own learning strategies by themselves
• Support = insufficient because there sould be more teachers who
use LESCO, but they feel comfortable with the treatment of teachers
and staff of the institution
• Hearing impairment Students show different levels of English,
but the same accsess and communication difficulties in English
• Reading and writing skills this high school is bicultural but it
does not count with adequate infrastructure and material resources
to provide appropriate practice to develop reading and writing skills

23. RECOMMENDATIONS

24. • Teaching techniques: The English techniques developed in class
and aimed to the hearing impaired students must be strengthen by
providing specialized training in LESCO.
• Learning strategies: Teachers must analyze the successful
strategies that some hearing impaired students develop in order to
transmit them to the others in a intregrated way.
• Support: It is very useful to make teachers and staff of the institution
aware of the importance of providing more help to this students
through workshops, conferences, and integration activities.

25. • Hearing impairment: All the students with hearing impairment must
be treated in the same way, even though they have different levels
of deafness.
• Reading and writing skills: It is recommended to create a specific
space where the hearing impaired students can have basic tools to
learn based on their special conditions.

26. PROPOSAL OF LABORATORY FOR ENGLISH
PRACTICES OF HEARING IMPAIRED STUDENTS

27. GENERAL OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSAL
To create a classroom conditioned with technological equipment
aimed to the English learning of hearing impaired students
Specific objectives:
• To define and exclusive space for hearing impaired where students
can receive and develop English practices.
• To dispose the basic equipment required to perform English
practices based on the Computer Assisted Language Learning
approach.
• To provide training to the English teachers regarding the Computer
Assisted Language Learning approach in order to seize on the
infrastructure installed.

28. JUSTIFICATION OF THE PROPOSAL
• Not everybody learn in the same way
• Improvement of teaching and learning conditions
• Hearing impaired students need visual means
• Trained teachers

29. DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROPOSAL
• Getting a physical space: a room with facilities such as lighting,
privacy, and electrical plugging. A table for 5 people.
• Hardware: to get at least 5 desktop computers by doing a bingo,
raffle or the request of a volunteer fee. Besides, a reduction of the
amount of sales taxes.
• Teachers training: a workshop about CALL with its corresponding
schedule
• Bibliography: Teaching and Researching Computer-Assisted
Language Learning by Ken Beatty and released by Pearson
Education, 2010, 3rd edition

30. THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION!