In this era of globalization, the dominance of the English language is unquestionable. The 21st century is looking for talented people who are able to communicate in English and play a leading role on the international stage. University students with ...
In this era of globalization, the dominance of the English language is unquestionable. The 21st century is looking for talented people who are able to communicate in English and play a leading role on the international stage. University students with impairments are no exception. However, there is a shortage of research papers dealing with English education for university students with impairments. To address this issue, this study examines the satisfaction of the university students with visual and hearing impairments with a general English education course. The purpose of this study is to provide the basic data for the improvement of general English education courses of the university for students with visual and hearing impairments through investigating satisfaction with general English education courses of the university at a university, in Kyungsan, South Korea.
A total of thirty-eight university students who have visual and hearing impairments participated in the main survey. Nineteen visual impaired students and nineteen hearing impaired students participated in this survey. The data collected from the students was analyzed by frequency and test of the SPSS 12.0.
The findings of the study were as follows: First, the research has shown that the dependence of the participants on general English courses in this study is very high. Second, the global satisfaction of students with visual and hearing impairments on general English education courses is relatively low. After taking a general English education course, their abilities in English have not improved a lot. The participants positively rated items representing instrumental reasons for taking the course and strongly wanted to develop their speaking and writing skills. Third, learners wanted an appropriate education that takes account of the characteristics of their impairments.
Based on these findings, the details for developing general English education courses are proposed. The results of the analysis may also serve as a valuable reference for course planners who have the responsibility for designing compulsory English courses for university students with impairments.