The Effect of Using Mobile Phone Applications on Helping Children with Hearing Disabilities to Use English Language in the Cities of Jeddah and Taif in Saudi Arabia
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Introduction
Today, there is a rapid change in reaching information and spread of information. This rapid spread not only changes the conditions of social life, but also lays new functions on the institutions of education. In this respect, the institutions of education aim at training individuals to master at least a foreign language and use it effectively in everyday life and academic world.
English is one of the most important languages in the world. If countries want to have pioneering and intellectual students, they have to teach disabled and without disabilities children and create a good educational environment for learning.
According to (Sukarova, S. et al, 2010) hearing disability is one of the disabilities faced by many children; ninety five percent of children who are hard of hearing are born into families with at least one hearing-impaired parent. Rashid, S (2015) stated that, children with hearing disability usually have limited cognitive ability in understanding and remembering because they do not have access to verbal and written language So, this affects them especially in communicating with others, even within their own community (Siti Zaharah Mohid & Nor Azan Mat Zin. (2010).
Teaching English language to children with Hearing Disabilities as a second language is thought to be an immensely complex. So there are more devices and Applications use in teaching and learning children with hearing disabilities such as mobile phone application.
According to, (Mohamad, M., Maringe, F., & Woollard, J. 2012) mobile application is a necessity for everyone due to its multifunction and easy access. Furthermore (Mazlina, A. M., Ananthi, K. M., & Herawan, T., 2012) Concluded that, Mobile application acts as a tool for education has been widely used by teachers and students in learning program
Additionally (Chittaro, L. (2006) concluded that, using mobile applications in teaching and learning is useful because of its mobility in physical space. Moreover, it can be transported from a place to another. This allows children to use and access it anytime and anywhere at their convenience. Finally it allows involvement of users of different social backgrounds and it can help building interaction between them
In Saudi Arabia, there is still a lack of resources available to the children to attract the children with Hearing Disabilities to attract and facilitate using (EFL).
SO, the current study mainly aimed at finding out the effectiveness of implementation the application mobile phone on helping children with hearing disabilities to use English Language.
Context of the Problem
Helping children with hearing disabilities to use (EFL) has a great importance to help them acquire foreign language skills to communicate and express their ideas. The previous studies proved that, the importance of using application mobile phone to help children with hearing disabilities to use second language.
Kimberly A. Weaver, Kimberly A. (2012) conducted a study with the goal of understanding how parents decide when it is time to learn and how these decisions impact their ability to learn to recognize and produce ASL vocabulary. Additionally, they have explored what it means to create a mobile informal learning tool for hearing parents of deaf children attempting to learn sign language. They described the application and outlined a study which will investigate how using this application will impact parents’ ability to learn vocabulary. The final contribution of this study is a reflection on the how device platform decisions may impact the developmental cycle and the evaluation of mobile applications.
The proposed of Study by (Majzoob . K, et al, 2015) was enhancement model to increase the efficiency of the Mobile Application strategy for sign language for the deaf in third world countries, to increase the efficiency of the mobile learning operations, to use our results from this model to create interactive and dynamic content, and to build a mobile application which is easy to use and allows the performance of deaf students to be tracked. In addition, we proposed a new strategy for the development of mobile learning applications which uses data scalability, data integration and mobile frameworks. We also made proposals for the development of e-content for deaf users which can be accessed on any type of mobile device. Moreover, the proposed model describes the required procedures to provide conversion of text to sign language for effective communication with deaf people. It is also a region-independent language creator tool which allows new words and respective images to be added to the library using a web cam and mobile camera. The application takes text as an input and generates the output dynamically by searching many different images for every word and displays output by playing them with particular time and how to assess the students (Home user and Institute User). Finally, the using of proposed model does not just support mobile service; it can be integrated with other mobile learning services.”
Madell (2014) stated that, a speech-language pathologist early-intervention program specifically to work with Spanish-speaking families and their DHH toddlers and preschoolers helped these families and understood their cultural perspectives as well as the developmental priorities they held for their children. Although, he indicated to the raising children bilingually were influenced by parents’ beliefs about bilingualism and deafness, parents’ own bilingual status, and the support that parents received in raising their children to be bilingual.
Another researcher (Alqarni,2017) conducted the study, the purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the communication modality used by hearing parents in their day-to-day interactions with their deaf children in Saudi Arabia as well as the factors that contribute to their choice of their methods of communication. The study also examined what challenges hearing parents in Saudi Arabia face regarding their communication with their deaf children. A sample of (54) hearing parents of deaf children in Saudi Arabia completed a questionnaire via Survey Monkey. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for analyzing the data. The findings revealed that the majority of parents used spoken language and simultaneous communication (signs with spoken language) when communication with their deaf children. The findings also revealed that teachers’ advice followed by doctors’ advice were the most affecting factors that contribute to hearing parents’ choice of methods of communication with their deaf children. Moreover, the participants reported that there were no sign language teaching programs for parents. Because no prior research investigated this topic, this research provided insights into hearing parents’ knowledge about appropriate methods of communication with their deaf children in Saudi Arabia.
Study by (Mokhtar et al, 2015) described an application for the learning of Malaysian Sign Language. Also, it focused on the content design, user interface and usability of the application. It highlighted how the application was designed to incorporate local needs and culture of Malaysia. The medium of communication for the application is in Bahasa Melayu and English. It uses an animated character to illustrate the different signs. It also integrates audio and text narration for better content delivery
It can be noticed that, mobile phone application helps parents’ children with hearing disabilities to communicate with them, and helps children to use English
Statement of the problem
The research problem can be identified in the, bilingual Arabic sign language application available on the app store not suitable for the children. This is due to the lack of the opportunities given to children with hearing disabilities to use (EFL). Therefore, this study will attempt to design Mobile phone Application to help children with hearing disabilities to use (EFL). This study, attempts to provide an answer for the following major question:
What is the effect of using on helping children with hearing disabilities to use English Language in the in Saudi Arabia?
Questions of the study
From this main question, the following sub-questions emerge:
1- What are the theoretical foundations of using mobile phone applications in acquisition second language for children with hearing disabilities?
2- What are the required (EFL) skills for children with hearing disabilities?
3- What is the effectiveness of using mobile phone application on helping children with hearing disabilities to use English Language in the in Saudi Arabia?
The Research Aims:
The general objective of this study is to examine the effect of using mobile phone application on helping children with hearing disabilities to use English Language in the in Saudi Arabia. The specific objectives are:
1 –Review the theoretical foundations of using mobile phone applications in special education and acquisition second language for children with hearing disabilities?
2- Developing the using English language for children with hearing disabilities.
2 – Examining the effectiveness of the suggested mobile phone application for helping children with hearing disabilities to use English Language in the in Saudi Arabia.
Literature Review
This section provides the theoretical framework that have been chosen based on the importance of the topics that are related to the study topic Such as : using mobile Phone Applications on Helping Children with Hearing Disabilities to Use English Language.
According to, (Mohamad, M., Maringe, F., & Woollard, J. 2012) Mobile application is developed using operating system such as Android OS, iOS, RIM OS, Symbian and Window OS. Nowadays, generally, a mobile phone is no longer that expensive like before since it has become a necessity for everyone due to its multifunction and easy access
Additionally, (Burton, M. (2013) mobile computing platform has opened many alternate communication channels that were not previously available and it focuses on various sectors. As an example, the existence of mobile application act as a tool for education has been widely used by teachers and students in learning program
Advantages of using mobile applications in teaching and learning
Some researchers (Ohene-Djan, J., Zimmer, R., Gorle, M., & Naqvi, S. 2003; Chittaro, L. 2006; Burton, M. 2013) assessed on that , There are several advantages of using mobile applications in teaching and learning.
- Firstly, it is relevant to use mobile application to learn because of its mobility in physical space.
- Secondly, the application embedded in mobile devices is portable and can be transported from a place to another. This allows people to use and access it anytime and anywhere at their convenience.
- Thirdly, mobile application allows involvement of users of different social backgrounds and it can help building interaction between them
- Fourthly, the quality of special education needs to be enhanced. This can be done by developing the mobile application software to attract the deaf and the normal to learn sign language.
- Fifthly, The existence of application for sign language learning in mobile phones will change the communication pattern and social circle of the deaf
Methodology
This section presents the methods and procedures that the researcher followed to pinpoint the effect of using mobile Phone Applications on Helping Children with Hearing Disabilities to Use English Language. This section highlights the methodology employed in the study in terms of its design, participants and instruments.
Design of the Study
This study depends on a descriptive analytical method which describes a phenomenon without many hypotheses. The current study is a pre-post-experimental study. The researcher used one group. She /HE will demonstrate pre test, after that teaching skills through using mobile Phone Applications, then he / she will demonstrate post test .lasted for 3 months during the first term of 2017-2018 academic years.
Participants
the Participants of study will be (10 ) Children with Hearing Disabilities their age ranged from 6 to 13 years .Most of them belonged to the middle class and their socio-economic level was nearly the same.
Instruments of the study
The researcher used the following instruments to achieve the purpose of the study.
1 – Questionnaire
To answer the study questions, the researcher will design questionnaire to based on related studies to identify the problems and obstacles faced children with hearing disability on using English signs in Saudi Arabia Also, identify on the obstacle of using mobile phone Application.
2 – Observation sheet
Additionally, the researcher will prepare observation sheet to observe children with hearing disability’s using English through mobile phone application. She will collect data for statistical analysis, and answer the questions on displaying the results. In order to achieve the credibility of the data, the researcher carried out deep and detail observation of the data. The researcher read and reread the data carefully and comprehensively to make sure the data are suitable with the research questions.
3 – Suggested Mobile Phone Applications
The need to design mobile phone application based on the need for urgent and necessary for the development of programs, strategies and models that contribute to children with hearing disability and help them to develop English language skills .
4 – The pre post test
The test will design and develop by the researcher; to investigate the effect of using mobile phone application on children with hearing disability’s using English.
Explicit Outcomes
A result of my research may: Improve the levels of use English language by children with hearing disabilities. Also, it may break down the barriers to communication with the different communities which are experienced by children with hearing disabilities; this would make it possible to use these applications in the future as a new source from communication with different cultures.
Additionally, it will establish the existence of a relationship between children with hearing disabilities and use mobile phone applications, tablet devices to developing their English language, and whether this relationship is positive or negative.
Furthermore, studying the effects of the use mobile phone application on surrounding of children with hearing disabilities improve the communicate of the children with world. In addition to the purpose of application to use English language this application also as a means of entertainment, which can suit any psychological characteristics of children with hearing disabilities.
Although , The importance of this study lies in it’s rare for a study to examine the effect of mobile phone application in helping children with hearing disability to use (EFL) in Saudi Arabia.
Finally, the research will lead to recommendations for the use of modern technology to help children with hearing disabilities to communicate with the community and other cultures, and may also give rise to the invention of new methods which will enhance the lives of children with hearing disabilities and allow them to access the same opportunities as other children.
The research proposes to use the following facilities and resources:
- Books, journals and the Internet.
- PC equipped with software programs.
- A training course on mobile phone application design.
- Tickets to travel for the purpose of observing the children of the research sample.
- Permission from the official authorities in Saudi Arabia to perform the research within the centres and schools from which my sample of children with disabilities in Saudi Arabia is taken.
Key words:
Children with hearing disabilities – mobile phone app – Arabic sign language
Timeline for PhD research
- Collection of data and previous scientific studies.
- View and note the sample for research.
- Taking intensive courses to develop the skills for designing mobile phone applications.
- Submission of the first report of the first year of studies.
- Design application for children with hearing disabilities
- Run the mobile phone app for the research sample to obtain sample data and write notes and results.
- To create questionnaires which will be distributed to groups surrounding children with hearing disabilities
- A report and the results of the research will be submitted during the second year.
- Data analysis and extraction of results.
- Writing, review, and delivery of the thesis.
References
Chittaro, L. (2006). Visualizing information on mobile devices. Computer, 39(3), 40-45
Fardhu Ain (PAFA). Jurnal Kurikulum dan Pengajaran Asia Pasifik, 3(3).
FarrajAlqarni. (2017). Saudi Digital Library. [ONLINE] Available at: http://sdl.summon.serialssolutions.com/search?s.q=sign%20language#!/search?ho=t&fvf=ContentType,Dissertation,f&rf=PublicationDate,2016-07-17:2017-07-17&l=en&q=arabic%20sign%20language%20for%20children. [Accessed 18 July 2017]
Jane Madell. (2014). Should Children with Hearing Loss Learn a Second Language?. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://hearinghealthmatters.org/hearingandkids/2014/children-hearing-loss-learn-second-language/. [Accessed 18 July 2017].
Majzoob Kamal Aldein Omer, Mohmed SirelkhtemAdrees, Osama E. Sheta. (2015)Alternative Central Mobile Application Strategy to Deaf and Dumb Education in Third World Countries
Marschark, M. (1998) Raising and Educating a Deaf child. 1sted. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kimberly A. Weaver, Kimberly A. (2012) Mobile Sign Language Learning Outside the Classroom
Mazlina, A. M., Ananthi, K. M., & Herawan, T. (2012). A Design of Educational Multimedia Software for Disability: A Case Study for Deaf People. In The International Conference on Modeling and Simulation 2012 (MAS 2012) Jeju, Korea. (pp. 1-8).
Mohamad, M., Maringe, F., & Woollard, J. (2012). Mobile Learning in Malaysian Schools: Opportunities and Challenges of introducing teaching through mobile phones. International Journal for e-Learning Security, 2(1/2), 133-137.
Rashid, S. M. M., Pendidikan, F., Komputer, F. K. S., & Islam, A. P. (2015). Reka Bentuk Isi Kandungan Kurikulum Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia (BIM) Untuk Perkara Asas
ShamsulAnuarMokhtar,. (2015) Learning application for Malaysian sign language. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/300876380_Learning_application_for_Malaysian_sign_language. [Accessed 14 July 2017
Sukarova Stefanovska, E., Plaseska Karanfilska, D., Cakar, M., & Filipce, I. (2012). Genetics of non Syndromic Hearing Loss in the Republic of Macedonia. Balkan Journal of Medical Genetics, 15(Supplement), 57-59.
Siti Zaharah Mohid & Nor Azan Mat Zin. (2010). Courseware Accessibility for Hearing Impaired. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Information Technology, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Burton, M. (2013). Evaluation of sign language learning tools: Understanding features for
improved collaboration and communication between a parent and a child.
Ohene-Djan, J., Zimmer, R., Gorle, M., & Naqvi, S. (2003). A Personalisable Electronic
Book for Video-based Sign Language Education. Educational Technology & Society, 6(4), 86-99.
Chittaro, L. (2006). Visualizing information on mobile devices. Computer, 39(3), 40-45.
Personal statement Personal Statement
I have always been driven by my ambition to complete my education and access a doctoral degree, and I still have the ambition and motivation to pursue a post-doctoral qualification. I remain confident of the fact that, although people are generally not progressing, the way to elevate people is with science and by working together. Even in death, Humans are always looking to science and learning, and every day studies show new discoveries. It is important to always strive to seek knowledge and keep pace with modern developments. By nature, I always try to discover new ways and methods and have always strived for peace in the world of science and in the culture of peoples. There is no doubt that the rise of science and human thought reveals more of the secrets of the universe, and my love of learning and passion for new discoveries prompted me to continue with my career.
The fields of animation, graphic design and video games are new, and are rapidly developing in colleges and universities in Saudi Arabia. For this reason, I have insisted on learning and recognising this art. De Montfort University is one of the strongest and most prestigious universities in the fields of design, arts, multimedia and computer science, therefore I have every confidence in the team working at the university. I chose this university because I am certain that it is the university that will provide me with the best environment in which to improve my skills and achieve my goal of developing a new means of teaching people with disabilities.
I am highly motivated to undertake this research and have passion, ambition, self-confidence and patience. Moreover, I have experience of teaching at university level, where I was a Demonstrator before being awarded a scholarship to study in Great Britain. I also worked at the university after the opening of the first Animation and Graphic Design Department, becoming one of the first members of the teaching staff in the new department.
My work at the College in Saudi Arabia proves that I have specific skills and characteristics, such as being serious, trustworthy, confident, and creative. I have good communication skills and have demonstrated by ability to form good working relationships. I love my work, I am able to manage difficult behaviour effectively and clearly, and I have good time-management skills. I am able to write clearly and forcefully, I am patient and motivated to learn, I am able to cooperate well with others and show flexibility. After my involvement in the work of the university, I acquired many skills in time management and dealing with scholastic problems, and I was also employed in a variety of roles: Guide Academy for students, a member of the Committee for the Coordination of Exhibitions, a member of the coordination of the college and a member of the committee preparing the tables and study plans for the department. In the meantime, I also participated in some exhibitions until I was nominated for the scholarship to continue my studies at Masters and PhD level. Then after studying for and getting a Master’s degree in miniature self-management, I also became an accredited trainer of the King Abdul Aziz Centre for National Dialogue. These qualifications make me a suitable candidate to study for a doctorate at Coventry University.
The issue of hearing disabilities is one which is faced by children around the world. The increasing incidence of these problems means that all countries should take these disabilities into consideration. Treatment of children with hearing disabilities can take the form of medical treatment and psychological studies, and since there is no cure to eliminate the condition completely, it is assumed that all parties and individuals will unite to reduce the suffering of children with these disabilities and help them to engage in the community in the same way as people without disabilities. Art has long been linked to psychological treatment for this condition, and the increasing use of computers and tablets in users’ social lives has led to many researchers resorting to the integration of modern art techniques for treating and alleviating the symptoms of children with hearing disabilities. I hope that my research will contribute to the alleviation of the suffering of children with hearing disabilities, by using mobile phone applications to assist them with the process of social networking and enabling them to learn from a new source.
The reason why I chose to focus of children with hearing disabilities, rather than adults, is that the symptoms of children with these disabilities often appear in the early stages of their lives. Thus, if the appropriate treatment is found, they will havea better chance of integrating in the community and enjoying a better quality of life. It is the right of every child in the world to have access to a good life, and for all children with hearing disabilities to be able to live their life in the same way as other children of the same age. The families of these children often suffer due to the burden of caring for the children and providing for their needs. The family also suffer psychologically as a result of seeing their child grow up without equal access to learning and without the ability to play and study likes the rest of their peers.
My desire is to see people an increase in the number of student with hearing disabilities who are able to come to university in order to study and to achieve their ambitions.This is particularly important for those who are considered to be geniuses as this may prevent a time when universities are in capable of interacting with the community around them. For this reason, I decided to conduct research, which would focus on the rehabilitation of children with hearing disabilities and would allow them to be able to attend university in the future if they wished, and to have the same rights to education as their peers. This will relieve the suffering of parents.
My future plans are to open a centre for teaching animation and video games to all people who are interested in learning this art, including people who suffer from hearing disabilities, so I have a particular interest in providing what I can to help this group to learn well. Also, being at university, I will continue my work to integrate people with special needs and people with hearing disabilities with the rest of the community groups, and being in university education gives me greater motivation to help and understand these groups of people.
In five years I hope to have completed my PhD degree and returned to my home. I want to build my own college to teach any person interesting things about designing video games and animation also to support any artist around the world by social media and at college. Also to give advice through famous team in this filled. I want to create a department in my college, which will specialise in teaching children and teenagers with disabilities. I want make movies and write books. I have the necessary motivation to achieve success in my future.
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