LEARNING STYLES IN DEAFBLIND CHILDREN: PERSPECTIVES …

1 LEARNING STYLES IN DEAFBLIND . children : PERSPECTIVES FROM. PRACTICE. by ELIZABETH MIRA HODGES. A Thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham For the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY. School of Education The University of Birmingham April 2004. University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder.

2 ABSTRACT. This thesis explores the concept of LEARNING STYLES as they relate to the education of DEAFBLIND children . A literature review concludes that assessment of LEARNING may be more effective than assessment of skills. The practice of assessment in the UK is researched through the use of a survey of teachers of DEAFBLIND learners. This survey indicates that teachers favour informal observational assessments, and that they do not currently assess LEARNING style, and may not know what it is. A second literature review and other arguments show that the concept of LEARNING style is relevant to DEAFBLIND learners. A series of case studies of DEAFBLIND children is then described. Methods for studying LEARNING STYLES are developed through these case studies. These methods initially explore the concept of style through prompt modality preference, and then through wider aspects of style.

3 The assessments demonstrate that each child has her own individual LEARNING STYLES , notwithstanding the shared impairment of deafblindness. The application of LEARNING style preferences to teaching shows some evidence of improved LEARNING . In addition, the outcomes of the studies challenge some accepted pedagogical principles for the education of DEAFBLIND children , such as the priority of communication skills above self-help skills. To my dear friend Annie, with thanks for all the playtimes she spent playing Helen Keller with me in school. With special thanks to the following people;. To Kate Cowell for reading and correcting the commas. and to Jill Porter who never failed to inspire me with fresh enthusiasm and to those who provided assistance and support; Bill Jennings, Helen Jennings, Hannah Spreadborough, Meriel Cross, and Mike McLinden and to Stuart Spreadborough who taught me Excel in a hurry and to Celia Hudson and those who helped me find data that had gone missing in rubbish sacks!

4 And to all the staff and parents who shared in the studies with me. Especial thanks to Diane Pratt and Richard Pratt who encouraged me and let me use their house as library, study and hotel and to all the children who I have worked with, for their patience and their help. Chapter one 1 Introduction Deafblindness 2. My experience; Peggy 3. Personal statement 6. The development of research questions 6. Research framework 8. DEAFBLIND children ; terminology and population 10. Conclusion 16. Chapter two 2 Educational and developmental assessment of DEAFBLIND children ; a review of the literature Introduction 18. Assessment in education 19. Assessment of DEAFBLIND children 20. DEAFBLIND children and LEARNING 23. Assessment tools for DEAFBLIND learners 26. Assessment, teaching and LEARNING 34. Assessment through LEARNING for DEAFBLIND children 36.

5 Conclusions 43. Chapter three 3 An investigation into the practice of assessment by teachers of DEAFBLIND learners Introduction 45. Methodology 51. What the questionnaires said 63. Discussion 86. Conclusions 89. Chapter four 4 Cognitive ( LEARNING ) STYLES in DEAFBLIND children ; a review of literature relating to style Introduction 92. The concept of cognitive style 93. The construct of cognitive style 97. Assessment of cognitive style 101. Curry's onion model 101. Cognitive STYLES in young children 102. Cognitive STYLES and disability 104. The importance of cognitive style for LEARNING 113. Conclusions 116. Chapter five 5 Developing methodology and methods for studying LEARNING style Introduction 118. Methodology; a case study approach 120. Trustworthiness of evidence 127. Ethical issues 132. Working with children and teachers; choosing children 143.

6 Undertaking the studies; development of methods 152. First phase studies; the pilot study 157. Results; the child and LEARNING style 159. Results; development of methods 162. Discussion 164. Summary of development of methodology 165. Summary of pilot study 165. Conclusions 166. Chapter six 6 Exploratory Studies Introduction 167. Participants 168. Prompting as a teaching strategy for DEAFBLIND children 170. Organising the teaching schedule 174. The taught task 178. Results; children and LEARNING STYLES 182. Results; development of methods 195. Discussion 197. Conclusion and summary 201. Chapter seven 7 Phase two studies Introduction 203. Participants 204. Results; the child and LEARNING style 208. Results; development of methods 226. Discussion 227. Conclusions and summary 230. Chapter eight 8 Phase three studies Introduction 232.

7 Development of methods for phase three studies 234. Results; collection of data 253. Results; children and LEARNING style - compiling the 257. profiles Discussion 289. Conclusion and summary 293. Chapter nine 9 LEARNING style in DEAFBLIND children Introduction 295. The inquiry: methods and methodology 296. LEARNING style in DEAFBLIND children ; a summary of the 303. evidence Assessment and ability of DEAFBLIND children 321. Conclusions 326. Figure one How respondents learnt about named 68. assessments Figure two Respondents who know named 72. assessments Figure three Respondents who use named assessments 73. Figure four Respondents who found named 74. assessments useful Figure five Aims of assessments 81. Figure six Weightings for assessments 82. Figure seven Information used for target setting 83. Figure eight Picture of Usha's box 180.

8 Figure nine Picture of Alice's biscuit barrel 206. Figure ten Picture of Siobhan's task 253. Table 1 Work responsibilities of respondents 64. Table 2 Qualifications in relation to sensory impairment 65. Table 3 Assessment types studied during teacher education. 66. Table 4 How MSI training influences knowledge of assessments 69. Table 5 How MSI training influences use of assessments 70. Table 6 The knowledge and use of assessments 75. Table 7 Phases of the child studies 120. Table 8 Development of methods 132. Table 9 Categories of visual and hearing impairment 147. Table 10 Visual and hearing impairments of participants 148. Table 11 Ages and key stage of participants 151. Table 12 Summary information about participants in this phase 169. Table 13 Caroline's responses to prompts 186. Table 14 Grace's responses to prompts 190.

9 Table 15 Usha's responses to prompts 194. Table 16 Preferred response to prompts 198. Table 17 Summary information on children in this phase. 204. Table 18 Helen's responses to prompts 211. Table 19 Debbie's responses to prompts 215. Table 20 Alice's responses to prompts 219. Table 21 Satya's responses to prompts 223. Table 22 Responses to prompting 227/8. Table 23 Summary information on children in phase three 234. Table 24 Sources of evidence used for profiles 255. Table 25 Information sources for profiles 256. Table 26 Kate's responses to prompts 260. Table 27 Siobhan's responses to prompts 269. Table 28 Fallon's responses to prompts 277. Table 29 Shula's responses to prompts 283. Table 30 Responses to prompting 290. Appendix 1 Questionnaire and covering letter 329. Appendix 2 Assessments mentioned by respondents to 340. the questionnaire Appendix 3 Comments made about LEARNING STYLES 344.

10 Training Appendix 4 List of comments about LEARNING STYLES 346. assessments Appendix 5 Inter-observer reliability measures from 352. video monitoring Appendix 6 Permission letter for parents 359. Appendix 7 Copy of interview schedule 364. Appendix 8 Edited extracts from interview with Hayley 368. about Elizabeth Appendix 9 Pilot LEARNING style assessment 374. Appendix 10 LEARNING style assessment - prompt 378. modality preference Appendix 11 Example of completed record sheet for 382. Usha Appendix 12 Headings for the recording sheets for 384. classroom observation Appendix 13 Photographs of equipment used by children 387. for tasks Appendix 14 Edited individual child profile and evidence 389. GEST Grants for Education, Support and Training PMLD profound and multiple LEARNING difficulties QCA Qualifications and Curriculum Authority LEA Local Education Authority DES Department of Education and Science SLD severe LEARNING difficulties SEN Special Educational Needs LPAD LEARNING Potential Assessment Device TTA Teacher Training Agency MQ Mandatory Qualification DfES Department for Education and Skills FE Further Education MSI multi sensory impairment/multi sensory impaired HI hearing impairment/hearing impaired VI visual impairment/visually impaired Assessments described in chapter three (and following).