A phenomenological qualitative study: exploring teachers of the deaf's lived experiences of teaching K-12 deaf students online bilingually during the COVID-19 pandemic

Jessica A. Willoughby

doi:10.17918/00011060

Bilingual education is recognized as the most effective approach for k-12 Deaf students, as it supports the development of American Sign Language (ASL) as a first language (L1) and facilitates English acquisition as a second language (L2; Baker & Wright, 2021). During the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers of the Deaf were required to shift to online instruction, yet the effectiveness of delivering bilingual education in virtual settings remains unclear. Furthermore, there has been limited documentation of these teachers' experiences and the instructional strategies they adapted or developed for online bilingual teaching. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of teachers of the Deaf who provided online bilingual instruction to K-12 Deaf students during the pandemic. Through semi-structured narrative interviews and analysis of instructional artifacts, the study uncovered the challenges and successes teachers encountered as they navigated the sudden shift from in-person to online teaching. Findings revealed that teachers experienced a range of obstacles, including digital inequity, limited access to visually accessible tools, linguistic challenges, insufficient training, inconsistent student engagement, and the critical need for stronger parental involvement. Despite these barriers, teachers demonstrated resilience and creativity, developing a variety of bilingual instructional strategies tailored for online platforms. Some of these strategies have since been incorporated into in-person teaching practices post-pandemic. Participants also reported that many Deaf students showed continued growth in English reading and writing skills during online learning and after returning to in-person instruction; however, student progress varied depending on technology access and levels of engagement. The findings contribute valuable insights into the effectiveness of online bilingual education for Deaf students and highlight critical areas such as addressing digital divides and fostering student motivation. Drawing from the study's findings, this research presents practical recommendations to guide schools and teachers of the Deaf in strengthening equitable access and improving instructional quality in online bilingual education. Ultimately, this research enriches the discourse on bilingual pedagogies within Deaf education and lays groundwork for future studies on technology integration and language development in online learning environments. The study was guided by three research questions (RQs): RQ1: How do teachers of the Deaf describe their lived experiences teaching k-12 Deaf students bilingually and online during the COVID-19 pandemic? RQ2: How do teachers of the Deaf characterize the similarities and differences of their Deaf students' L2 English literacy development before the COVID-19 pandemic with in-person bilingual instruction, during the pandemic with online bilingual instruction, and after the pandemic with in-person bilingual instruction? RQ3: How do teachers of the Deaf describe the efficacy of bilingual instruction strategies they created or adapted specifically for online instruction with their k-12 Deaf students? Keywords: Deaf education, bilingual education, COVID-19 pandemic, online learning, bilingual instruction.

A phenomenological qualitative study: exploring teachers of the deaf's lived experiences of teaching K-12 deaf students online bilingually during the COVID-19 pandemic

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A phenomenological qualitative study: exploring teachers of the deaf's lived experiences of teaching K-12 deaf students online bilingually during the COVID-19 pandemic

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