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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Educ.
Sec. Language, Culture and Diversity
Volume 9 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1504503
This article is part of the Research Topic Learning foreign languages: experiences of persons with disabilities and special educational needs and their teachers View all 6 articles

Enhancing EFL Writing Skills for Adult Deaf and Hard of hearing Individuals

Provisionally accepted
Marta Chomicz Marta Chomicz 1,2*
  • 1 Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology, Warsaw, Poland
  • 2 The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The paper examines how Deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) learners use information technology to develop English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing skills. Conducted during two EU-funded summer schools, one in Italy and one in Poland, the research explores how internet tools like Google Translate, ChatGPT, and online dictionaries affect writing quality and confidence among 18 adult D/HHparticipants. The findings indicate that participants perceived these tools as improving vocabulary, grammar, coherence, and writing confidence. Moreover, the study highlights the creative strategies D/HH learners use to overcome linguistic challenges, such as employing simple and direct language, imaginative storytelling, and using visual imagery. Participants demonstrated resourcefulness in conveying complex ideas despite limitations in vocabulary and grammar, even when writing without technology. With the aid of internet tools, these strategies were further enhanced, helping to improve the clarity and structure of their texts. However, the research acknowledges limitations of relying heavily on technology, as it may limit opportunities for independent language growth. The study emphasises the need for a balanced approach that integrates both technology and traditional methods to foster comprehensive EFL skill development.

    Keywords: Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH), Writing strategies, Artificial Inteligence-AI, EFL (English as a foreign language), Technology in the classroom, Writing errors, Learning English, writing skills

    Received: 30 Sep 2024; Accepted: 17 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Chomicz. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Marta Chomicz, Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology, Warsaw, Poland

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