Educators’ Practices Involving Deaf Multilingual Learners: A Single Case Study

The purpose of this single case study was to identify instructional strategies, that takes into account language and culture, used by professionals and educators involved in the instructional process of DMLs at an elementary school in the southeast. The central research question for this study was: What educational assessments and instructional strategies, that takes language and culture into consideration, are used in the education of DMLs? The theory that guided this study was Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978, 2012) as it incorporates students’ culture and social interactions with peers and teachers into the learning process. This was a qualitative single case study comprised of 12 professionals and educators involved in the education of DMLs. While the role of each participant varied, all were involved in the instructional process of the DMLs in the setting of the study. This study took place at an elementary school in the southeast that houses a deaf education program for students from preschool through the fifth grade. Data was collected through interviews, observations, and a focus group comprised of professionals and educators of DMLs. Data was analyzed by organizing it into manageable systems, reading and memoing transcripts, and identifying and analyzing themes (Yin, 2014). Credibility was established through peer review, member checks, and a reflexive journal. Findings indicate that the use of non-verbal assessments, provision of native language access, incorporation of students’ culture into the curriculum, and the use of visuals in instruction are all strategies used in the education of DMLs that takes into consideration language and culture