Exploring the curriculum for d/Deaf and hard of hearing children at a regular school in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Children who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/DHH) may require a unique curriculum that addresses their varied needs. The study explored the curriculum for d/DHH children at a school in Zimbabwe. The study was qualitative and used a narrative research design. Purposive sampling was employed to select two Psychologists, two school administrators, and focused group discussions (FGDs) from teachers. Interviews were used to gather data from school administrators and Psychologists, respectively, while FGDs gathered data from teachers. The study presented data in narrative form and analysis was done through Riessman’s interactional model. The study found that d/DHH children learned the same curriculum as hearing children. Another finding was that the mainstream curriculum was unsuitable for d/DHH children owing to large class sizes and little time allocated to periods. The study recommended that the regular school curriculum should be adjusted to address the special needs of d/DHH children.