Need Analysis of Pre-Braille Skills Module as The Pedagogical Support in Early Braille Literacy Learning

Abstract

Pupils with visual impairments adapt in a variety of ways, one of which is learning to "see" through touch. Therefore, tactual readiness is essential for them to have access to physical reading materials. However, conventional instructional methods emphasize on memorising braille codes and braille writing rather than tactile reading. As a result, pupils find reading braille materials physically less engaging, and in the worst possible case, these pupils suffer from academic deficiencies as a consequence of their inability to read tactile information. This will substantially reduce their prospects of success in the future. As a corollary, instructional strategies emphasising interventions to enhance tactile sensitivity are necessary for resolving this issue. On the basis of the discrepancy model, a questionnaire was created to identify whether teachers need specific interventions to suit the special educational needs of pupils with visual impairments, particularly during early braille learning lessons. This questionnaire was distributed randomly to 92 special education teachers who taught visually impaired pupils in a variety of special education programs (PPK) in Malaysia.Beforehand, seven experts were recruited to evaluate the content validity of the need analysis instrument, and an S-CVI value of 0.86 was determined. In the meanwhile, eleven experts evaluated the instrument's face validity; the S-FVI was 0.90. Meanwhile, the quantitative items in this questionnaire had an alpha value greater than.70, indicating that the instrument used is appropriate for obtaining responses from the intended group, since the instrument's alpha value surpassed >.07 and remained within the recommended range for good internal consistency, that could be interpreted as reliable. According to the results, all of the respondents claimed they need a comprehensive module for pre-braille skills that includes step-by-step instructions and video demonstrations. In essence, teachers need a guided module to implement pre-braille skill interventions that foster tactile awareness and tactile perception to support early braille development among pupils with visual impairment in schools and homes.

Implementasi Pembelajaran Al-Qur’an Braille dalam Proses Membaca dan Menghafal pada Anak Disabilitas Netra di Rumah Tahfidz Difabel Aisyah Luqman Semarang

“…Selain itu, usia anak tunanetra juga menjadi pertimbangan dalam menetapkan metode pembelajaran agar hasil keterampilan membaca dan menulis Braille dapat optimal (Martiniello & Wittich, 2022). Penelitian (Lee et al, 2021) menemukan bahwa pendekatan yang paling banyak digunakan dalam pembelajaran Braille adalah pendekatan behavioristik dengan kerangka sistematis yang menguraikan elemen, komponen, dan unit. Guru memiliki peran krusial dalam mengelola pembelajaran Braille secara kolaboratif dengan menggunakan pendekatan konstruktivistik sosial.…”

Identifying the relationship between disability and depression among children:A Case Study in Kalutara District, Sri Lanka

“…Rajapakse and Sivapalasingam (2011) described presenting prominent somatic symptoms, moderate level of depression and considerable higher female proportion of seeking treatments as some main characteristics of the clientele at a psychiatric clinic in territory care hospital in Sri Lanka. Available literature revealed few risk factors for prevalence of depression among Sri Lankan Children including genetic effects, early school leaving, poor standard of living, stressful life events, poor parental care, and adverse childhood experience on intimate partner violence perpetration (Ball et al, 2010;Fonseka, Minnis, & Gomez, 2015;Lee & Hock, 2023).…”

Development of Easy Match as a Teaching Aid for Students of the Integration Special Education Program (Learning Problems) in Form One Basic Cooking Subjects at SMK Telok Gadong, Klang

“…In line with the passage of time and the development of education, teaching patterns, and teaching aid should be modified and adapted to the context of teaching and learning. Therefore, in line with the development of 21st-century learning, the teaching methods and the use of teaching aid should go hand in hand so that more effective learning can be established [5]. The purpose of the study was to develop an Easy Match as a teaching aid of ICT in basic cooking subject for the form 1 students of the Integration Special Education Program.…”