2008 explains that difficulties manifest themselves in both written work and oral speech. Most mistakes may be found with sentence structure, verb tenses, word
omissions, pronunciation, words’ stress, and so on. The lack of hearing and auditory memory means that students may be unable to rehearse what is put down
on a page. Furthermore, native language has a grammar and syntax that is quite different to that of spoken English, which can also confuse the learners.
The educational methodologies in teaching English for learners with hearing difficulty have changed over time. Since the late 1900s educational
methodologies of English language have focused more on teaching the deaf children through Oralism Approach or Sign Language Approach and after that
focused on using Total Communication Approach and technology specially computer as a visual technique.
English is the lingua franca in which learners with hearing difficulty need to have the tools to become independent adults. Davila Hurwitz 1999 think it
is important to be able to clearly write if speaking is not an option as cited in Shagga, 2011: 60. Hearing difficulty learners generally experience tremendous
difficulty in acquiring English language in contrast to their natural and effortless acquisition of signed languages Berent, 2001. Without full access to the sounds
and intonations of English, the acquisition process for learners with hearing difficulty is often labored and unnatural and occurs at a much slower rate than
normal learners. For this reason, the development of the deaf students cognitive processes
based on auditory and oral elements should be reconsidered. If learners with
hearing difficulty suffer from slight or mild difficulty, it is still possible to teach them English with sounds. However, for learners with severe hearing, it might be
easier to comprehend the learning by visual input.
2.1.5.7 Teaching Hearing Difficulty Learners by Using Computer
Technology solutions, such as hearing aids and other Assistive Listening
Devices ALDs, do not restore hearing. They make everything clearer for the
learners with their uniqueness. Using technology in education is significant for learners with hearing difficulty. They primarily have access only to visual input
and any attempt to facilitate the noticing of English input is through focus-on- form. The learners learn information best by seeing it. Visual learners prefer using
images, pictures, colors, and maps to organize information and communicate with others. They can easily visualize objects, plans and outcomes in their mind eyes
Ysseldyky and Algozzine, 1995. For this reason, computer can be considered as an appropriate and
effective visual aid in educating the learners with hearing difficulty. Different teaching techniques, engaging also the brain right hemisphere, should be applied
for visual learners. McCarthy 2002:53 shows that using computer as a strategy illustrates an exposure, a demonstration of written, finger spelled, sign language
and the relationship among the three, and an opportunity to experiment in a risk- free and supportive setting.
Therefore, it is believed that using computer in teaching helps the learners to learn better, retains the learned lesson and improves the academic level,
increases their confidence and motivates them. Computerized lesson became more attractive. They only use their eyes to monitor the computer and put their chairs in
the appropriate positions. Therefore, these actions reflect their enthusiasm and motivation to learn.
2.2 The Philosophy of the Study
Qualitative research is the study of the empirical world from the viewpoint of the person under study Schmid, 1981. Schimd identified two underlying
principles. The first is that behavior is influenced by some factors, namely the physical, sociocultural, and psychological environment, that become the bases for
naturalistic inquiry. The second assumption is that behavior goes beyond what is observed by the investigator. Subjective meanings and perceptions of the subject
are critical in qualitative research, and it is the researchers responsibility to access
these. Other definition of qualitative study is proposed by Kirk and Miller
1986. They suggested a working definition that reflects the previous two principles. They defined it as a particular tradition in social science that
fundamentally depends on watching people in their own territory and interacting with them in their own language, on their own terms. It means that qualitative
study is pluralistic and consists of a variety of approaches. Since it is dialectic and interpretive, during the interaction between the researcher and the research
participant, the participant’s world is discovered and interpreted by means of qualitative methods De Vos 1998:242.
