Instructional strategies teachers’ use in developing braille reading skills of students at Akropong school for the blind

Abstract

The purpose of study was to explore the instructional strategies teachers use in developing braille reading skills among students in Akropong School for the Blind in the Eastern Region. The qualitative approach using the case study design was employed in the study. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews and observation schedules. The purposive sampling technique was used to select twelve teachers for the study. Using thematic analyses, data from the interviews were manually analysed via themes that emerged from the data. The study revealed that teachers in the school took into consideration the age of onset of the disability, task analysis approach and dual media approach when setting up a braille literacy programme. The findings showed that teachers demonstrated fair knowledge on the appropriate order of teaching braille; however, they demonstrated little or no knowledge in the use of technology in teaching braille literacy. It was again revealed that teachers used a lot of instructional resources including but not limited to magnifiers, braille sheets and printers in teaching literacy to their learners. Finally, the findings from the study showed that teachers used motivation, and teaching from simple to complex, to influence the interest of their learners in literacy activities. The researcher recommended among other things that the Ghana Education Service should post more braille literacy teachers to the school to augment the overwhelming tasks on the few available. Management of the school should organise periodic in-service training for the teachers on how to employ electronic technological devices in teaching braille literacy, and how to also employ phonemic awareness in their braille literacy instructions.