Problems Facing Virtual Education During the Corona Pandemic from the Viewpoint of Teachers of Students with Hearing Disabilities: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the problems that teachers face in teaching students with hearing disabilities from a distance during the Corona pandemic, using the descriptive approach, by holding semi-formal interviews via phone with (25) deaf teachers who use sign language (17) female teachers and (8) males, of all educational levels, from governmental and private deaf schools in several Arab countries (Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Syria, Sudan, Tunisia and Morocco). The study followed the descriptive and analytical approach, which is concerned with describing the various aspects of the study problem, using semi-formal, semi-open interviews. The results indicated that teachers have faced many educational and social problems, including: technological problems, dealing with devices, internet outages in some countries, the quality of photography and technical defects, work pressures and additional burden, the family’s weak role in pursuing children's studies, increased work and the resulting fatigue, increased anxiety and fear of the effectiveness of virtual education, many teachers also felt that virtual education and the need to video tape lessons violated their personal freedoms and social life. Their lives and family relationships have been affected by this pandemic, and the study recommended preparing a comprehensive plan for emergencies and crises to be used in the future for such cases and training workers with deaf people how to work accordingly.