Social Studies Instruction in Signing Programs for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students: An Ecobehavioral Assessment

• Published in: American annals of the deaf (Washington, D.C. 1886) D.C. 1886), 2009, Vol.154 (4), p.400-412
• Main Authors: Woolsey, M. Lynn, Herring, Tina J., Satterfield, Susan T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Achievement tests; Art teachers; Attention; Child; Child Behavior; Children; Correction of Hearing Impairment; Curriculum; Day Schools; Deaf education; Deafness; Deafness - rehabilitation; Education of Hearing Disabled; Education, Special; Educational Strategies; Elementary school social studies; Elementary School Teachers; Elementary schools; Grade 3; Grade 4; Grade 5; Guideline Adherence; Guidelines as Topic; Hearing disorders; Humans; Language Arts; Language teachers; Learner Engagement; Learning; Mathematics education; Mathematics teachers; Observation; Partial Hearing; Pedagogy; Preservice Teachers; Program Effectiveness; Public Schools; Public Sector; Residential Facilities; Residential Schools; Schools; Science teachers; Sign Language; Social sciences; Social Sciences - education; Social Studies; Social studies education; Social studies learning; Standardized tests; Students; Students with disabilities; Teachers; Teaching Methods; Time Factors
• ISSN: 0002-726X; 1543-0375; 1543-0375
• DOI: 10.1353/aad.0.0108

SOCIAL STUDIES is a devalued subject in public schools. Worse, apparently no research exists on social studies instruction for students in deaf education. The researchers investigated the allocation of time for social studies in 7 residential schools and 1 day school. Using an ecobehavioral assessment tool, they observed 30 deaf students (grades 3–5) and 17 teachers for 60 school days. Three questions guided the study: (a) How much time was used for social studies? (b) What activities were more prevalent during social studies instruction? (c) Were there differences in the target of teacher attention between high- and low-performing students? Results showed that yoking social studies and language arts resulted in a doubling of the amount of time devoted to social studies content. Hands-on activities were most prevalent across grades. Practices that meets the recommendations of the National Council for the Social Studies are suggested.