Theme 1 Teaching and Learning Objectives

The theme contains data about vocational education teachers and deaf learners’ objectives, about desirable outcomes participants strived to achieve as the result of teaching and learning. As teachers were asked to make their definition of what inclusion of deaf student in

vocational education means for them, the theme additionally includes teachers’ responses on this question.

4.2.1 Vocational Education Teachers

Understanding of Inclusion

Based on teachers’ answers, they consider inclusion of deaf leaner in vocational education as a participation in a learning process, in a collective processes of learning acquisition. In

47 addition, participants connected inclusion with the employment and social participation. Quotations below better exemplifies participants’ responses:

“[inclusion] means integration into the collective… receiving vocational education and in the same way as other individuals taking part in work place in the future… inclusion in learning process intends involvement in a regular, collective vocational acquisition process” (TA);

“Inclusion of deaf individual to me means that deaf individual who has special needs is included and well adapted into the society and also receives education; in our case, this concrete vocation will help him to be employed. (TB);

“Inclusion implies participation in learning process and generally in life to feel oneself as an equal member and valued person“(TG).

Teachers’ Objectives

Regarding teaching objectives, all interviewed teachers stated that they had the same teaching objective with deaf learners as they had with all other students, oriented towards achieving all competences intended by the vocational program and making them competitive in an open market after the graduation.

TA stated the following: “I wanted to give him [LA] the same education, which is intended

for all other students… this is my responsibility and I am receiving salary for this;” TA

considers teaching of deaf student as her direct responsibility.

TB indicated: “I wanted to achieve the same outcomes I have with all other students, to make

student acquire the profession completely… to achieve the same competences as others supposed to achieve;”

According to TG: “I wanted to make this person [LG] competitive in our environment… It is

really a big responsibility, to prepare this student in a way that first of all makes him feel confident that he can compete with other professionals of the field.” To TG, teaching deaf

student associated with the high responsibility.

Preconditions of Teaching

While discussing teaching objectives, participants stated existence of the particular emotional conditions related with teaching of deaf students. Possible communication difficulties with deaf student, presence of sign language interpreter during the lessons, and possible

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communication and interactional troubles between deaf and hearing students, produced some anxiety in teachers.

TA stated: “I had fear of communication; how to understand his [deaf student’s] desires or

how to include him n learning process or how to pass theoretical information.”

According to TB: “At the beginning I had fear when I heard that I will have a deaf student

with interpreter in the group; I had some complex; imagine how it is, when you are lecturing and someone in parallel uses signs, this could disturb my attention, yes, when you watch when someone moves hands; I thought that during the lessons not only my but the students attention also could be disturbed”.

TG was concerned that deaf student and hearing peers could have interaction problems and to promote good peer relationship he informed students about a deaf student beforehand:

“I considered it useful to tell to students that they will have a peer with hearing impairment together with sign language interpreter and asked them to respect him. I told them that this guy does not have anything to be sorry about; that he is generally the same as they are with the one difference that he has hearing problems, but he lives with full life as they do” (TG).

4.2.2 Deaf Learners

Learners’ Objectives

The learning objective for all three students was connected with the acquisition of vocational qualification in the chosen field and with obtaining official diploma. The latter was named by the participants as the essential motivational factor. Based on the students’ answers, diploma will help them to find a job and in have good income after the graduation. Besides, LA and LG stressed the strong affection towards the chosen profession and the desire to strengthen their knowledge in it. Quotations below represent the learners’ answers:

“My aim was to learn chef’s vocation completely, love this profession, I like to do it and I want to be employed… with the diploma I can find a job and it would be more

profitable” (LA);

“I decide to study for moving forward, for receiving diploma, for finding job… with diploma I will have more high salary ” (LB);

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“I wanted to study computer because I love it very much, this is my calling … I thought maybe then I can find a job … I am grownup enough to work and I want to work in this field because I love it so much” (LG).