Perceptions of secondary school teachers towards Ugandan sign language as an elective subject under the competency based lower secondary curriculum

Abstract

Ugandan sign language (USL) is a native body language that uses physical aspects by persons with hearing impairment in Uganda. A competency-based curriculum (CBC) is a curriculum that emphasizes what learners are expected to do rather than mainly focusing on what they are expected to know. The purpose of the study was to explore secondary school teachers' perceptions towards USL as an elective subject under the lower secondary curriculum. The participants comprised two categories (01 head teacher and 10 teachers). A qualitative research approach, guided by a case study design was used in this study. The study used semi-structured interviews and focused group discussion to collect data from the head teacher and the teachers. The findings of the study showed that teachers embraced USL as an elective subject and that some teachers have a training background in special needs education and had the knowledge and skills to teach USL. There were many teachers however, who lacked knowledge and competence in teaching Ugandan sign language. The study results also showed that the school lacked instructional materials like sign language dictionaries, alphabet charts, projectors, videos, textbooks among others. The study concludes that Ugandan sign language as an elective subject is a progressive policy reform but may not see light unless the quality of sign language instructors at secondary level is addressed. It was therefore recommended that the government ought to recruit more qualified sign language teachers and to provide the necessary instructional materials.