This is a descriptive survey study that describes the overall nature of teacher preparation programs in the U.S. for prospective teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing (TEDHH programs). The specific purpose of the study was to investigate the nature of programs in the following three areas: 1) General Education, 2) Professional Education, and 3) Majors or Subject Matter/Content Education requirements. The study also focused on identification of factors impacting the current development of the programs; recommendations to resolve issues and problems are presented.
Teacher Education is a very delicate and complicated business, which involves multiple layers of stakeholders and participants. This study made such complications and the fragility of the programs apparent. Based on the results, four major conclusions emerged. First, the study revealed significant similarities in the teacher educators' perceptions of issues in spite of the diversity of the programs. The results showed diversity among the current TEDHH programs in program, curriculum, and program evaluation characteristics. Yet, the teacher educators expressed common concerns with program development, particularly regarding State Standards, Recruitment, and Administrative and Professional Support.
Second, the study demonstrated a disparity between the issues and problems identified in the literature and those emphasized by the teacher educators in Deaf Education. Third, the study revealed an unreasonable ratio between the number of faculty members involved in the TEDHH programs and the number of courses that they actually taught. The ratio between the number of faculty members and the courses that they were required to teach was an unreasonable mismatch if the goal is a high quality of instruction. Finally, it was apparent that the TEDHH programs kept high standards by receiving national and local accreditations. In Deaf Education, over 80% of the programs were nationally accredited and more than 90% were accredited by the respective states. Such results make it clear that the TEDHH programs maintain high standards in their programs.
Based on the results of this study, four major recommendations and 16 specific future research questions in three areas (teacher qualifications, recruitment of teacher candidates, and recruitment of teacher educators) are presented.