An investigation of teachers' perceptions and actions in carrying out communication policies in a public school for the dea

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' opinions on school communication policies in a public school for the deaf in Taiwan, to examine how they carried out the communication policies, and to examine any possible discrepancies between the teachers' perceptions of their communication methods and the actual communication modes used in the classroom.;Questionnaires were distributed to all 85 teachers. In addition, thirteen teachers (twelve hearing and one deaf) from the elementary to the high school level were chosen as subjects for in depth personal interviews. This was followed by direct classroom observation in conjunction with videotape recordings. Interviews with 16 senior high school level deaf students were included to discover their opinions about the teachers' communication modes and abilities, and about the communication modes they experienced in the school. The data collected were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.;The study revealed that "total communication" was a broad term which all teachers agreed on and used as an umbrella term. The main communication modes used by teachers were simultaneous communication (oral and Grammatical Sign Language, (GSL) at the junior and senior high school levels and simultaneous communication and the Mandarin Oral-Manual method at the elementary school level. Natural Sign Language (NSL) was used by a few teachers to add to their simultaneous communication. Deaf teachers (N = 11) felt more competent than hearing teachers (N = 74) in both expressive and receptive communication and in NSL, both at the start of teaching and at time of the study. All teachers reported that they had improved their communication competency in all communication modes from entry into the profession to the time of the study.;Teachers agreed that basic NSL and GSL skills should be requirements for future teachers. There was a significant correlation between teachers' communication skills and students' understanding of teachers' messages. In fact, a regression formula predicted students' understanding of teachers based on the teachers' communication skills. Deaf high school students preferred teachers using simultaneous communication: both NSL and GSL were accepted by students. Suggestions from teachers emphasized the importance of facilitating their sign language competency through both inservice and preservice training.;Implications of this study called for a more sound and clearer total communication policy and an efficient system to monitor teachers' communication behaviors. Sign language courses should be provided at the college level, and the basic communication competency of future teachers should be evaluated so as to maximize students' learning.