Sign Supported Speech Multimodal Technique in English Language Teaching of Bulgarian Hearing Impaired Children

Diyana Georgieva

Trakia University (Bulgaria)

https://doi.org/10.53656/ped2025-7.04

Abstract. This paper is dedicated to an experimental study, that aims to identify the effect of Sign Supported Speech on the optimization of teaching English language to Bulgarian hearing impaired children. The study involves 32 deaf and hard of hearing children (ages 9 – 11), divided into 2 equal-sized groups, one of which underwent a 14-week communicative intervention. Receptive and expressive skills were assessed in three domains: vocabulary, grammar, and pragmatics. A significant effect of SSS on vocabulary (F (1. 29) = 7.52, p< .001, partial η2 = 0.24) and grammatical (F (1. 29) = 6.29, p= .02, partial η2 = 0.21) knowledge was identified. At the same time, the results of the pragmatic subtest showed no statistical improvement after SSS application (F (1. 29) = .01, p= .94, partial η2 = 0.00). The recorded positive influence of SSS on the development of English communicative skills in Bulgarian deaf children does not negate the need for future research to confirm and build on the results of this study.

Keywords: English language teaching; hearing impaired children; multimodal; sign supported speech; total communication approach

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