Use of Technology for Children with Down Syndrome - Research Proposal Example

The Use of Technology for Children with Down Syndrome in Saudi Arabia Student’s Name Course Tutor’s Name Date 1. Introduction Down syndrome (DS) is defined as a generic disorder which is caused by chromosomal abnormalities. In some cases, it has been argued that the condition occurs due to a rearrangement of the chromosomal material contained in chromosome 21 and other chromosomes (Al-Shawaf & Al-Faleh, 2011; Stylianos et al., 2004). When the foregoing happens, a person has the normal chromosome 21 copies and other materials from the same chromosome (c. 21) attached to a different chromosome. Researchers argue that the extra material from chromosome 21 which attaches to other chromosomes hinders normal development hence causing DS. In learning, children with DS face more challenges compared to their non-DS counterparts. Some of the areas where children with DS experience difficulties while learning include motor development, obtaining grammar skills, speech clarity and the ability to use expressive language (Down Syndrome Education International (DSEI), 2013). Specifically, the motor skills in children with DS develop much slower compared to non-DS children. Consequently, children with DS do not explore and learn about their environment at the same pace as the non-DS children do. Notably, the delayed motor development affects their cognitive development (DSEI, 2013). In relation to language, grammar and clarity of speech, it has been noted that children with DS experience difficulties in learning how to use spoken language, comprehending language and developing clear speech (DSEI, 2013). A great percentage of children with DS also have difficulties with numbers. In other words, it is hard for such students to do calculations. DSEI (2013) and Burgoyne et al. (2013) further note that children with DS have short-term memory and this affects their ability to process and remember learning instructions. They are also easily detracted, meaning that their learning is also easily interruptible. Notably however, it has been indicated that the children’s capacity to internalise and remember information can be greatly improved through the use of visual information. Having established that visual instructions can improve learning in children with DS, the proposed research will investigate how technology (especially visual-aided technologies) is used in Saudi Arabian education context. The situation in Saudi Arabia in relation to children with DS is dire. Notably, there are few schools dedicated to addressing the learning needs of children with the condition, and such schools can only take a limited number of students. Royer (2012) for example notes that the Al-Nahda Schools for Down’s Syndrome has a capacity of 160 students within the three to 21 years age bracket, and as a result, there are more than 800 children on the waiting list to join the school at any one time. Incidentally, not much evidence is found in literature regarding the use of assistive technology in education of children with DS in Saudi Arabia. The only indication that technology is in use in schools catering for children with DS is offered by Royer through a picture that shows a child typing on a computer. The subject however is not discussed any further, hence suggesting that technology use is not considered a critical component in learning. The fact that a search through literature does not reveal much about the learning situation for children with DS in Saudi Arabia could be indicative of the possibility that not much research has been done on the area, hence one more reason why the proposed research is timely and important. Additionally, and as evident from other countries (Colombia and the United States) discussed hereunder, the use of technology among learners with DS has advantages. If Saudi Arabia would want to benefit from such advantages, it would need to adopt the same (or better) technology tools. In other parts of the world however, technology is used to enrich students with DS’s learning experience. Microsoft® (2012) for example documents how a gaming system is used in Bogota, Colombia to enrich learning for children with DS. Due to the unique learning challenges that come with DS, Microsoft® (2012) notes that there is an existing need to help students improve on their cognition and memory through technology use. In Colombia for example, Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox 360 is used as an educational tool by helping the learners engage physically with the content of the game (Microsoft®, 2012). Other tools like tablets and/or desktop computers or laptops can also be used to enhance students’ learning as is evident through the case indicated by Layton (2011) in North Carolina, USA. iPads and iPods are also on record for playing a vital role as a technology tool for children with DS (Lester, 2012). The latter has been cited as an important tool that allows teachers to keep the audio or video record of a class activity and enables children with DS (especially those with auditory troubles) to practise with the same away from class (Lester, 2012). In reference to the iPad, Layton (2011) notes that at first, “Most children...are quite taken by the technology. They focus more, interact more, interact with it easily, and verbally interact with the appropriate apps” (Para. 1). In the larger United States, Hasselbring and Glaser (2000) and Hu et al. (2013) found out that the use of computer technology among students with learning needs studying in integrated classrooms can help them keep up with their normal (nondisabled) peers. Where students have severe learning disabilities as would happen with extreme cases of DS, Hasselbring and Glaser (2000) found out that special technological interventions developed specifically for purposes of aiding children had a positive impact on learning outcomes. It is also evident from literature that for assistive technology to successfully enhance learning for children with DS and other special needs, the technologies ought to be matching it with the needs and abilities of individual children (Hayes, 2013). The foregoing means that rather than using technology just for the sake of it, educators have to be keen to identify the assistive technologies that best utilise the abilities of children with DS, while helping them in their weak learning areas. Computerised memory training was also used on children with DS in the United States, and as Bennett, Holmes and Buckley (2013) indicate, the training had a positive effect on the children in that the children showed improvements on “visuospatial short-term memory tasks” (p. 179). Notably, and as noted elsewhere in this proposal, children with DS have short-term memory, which makes it hard for them to concentrate on learning activities and makes them prone to being easily distracted. 2. Purpose of the study To probe how technology is used towards enhancing learning for children with DS in Saudi Arabia To understand the role of technology and its influences in children with DS in Saudi Arabian schools To examine the perceptions that Saudi Arabian teachers have in relation to the use of technology while educating children with DS To establish perceptions held by parents in relation to children with DS using technology To provide a constructive understanding of people’s perceptions regarding DS in educational setups To illustrate the importance of using technology in supporting children with learning difficulties due to DS by revealing the influences that such technologies have on the children’s learning abilities 3. Research questions In order to successfully accomplish the above indicated purposes, the proposed research will seek to answer the following questions: 3.1. How do teachers and non-teachers (especially parents) perceive children with DS in Saudi Arabia? Do they perceive them as being capable of handling technology tools and gadgets? 3.2. Where is technology used in learning among children with DS in Saudi Arabia and what are the consequences? 3.3. How does technology support the learning process of children with DS in Saudi Arabia? 4. Research Methodology Research paradigm: According to Mukherji and Albon (2009, citing Bogdan and Biklen, 1998, p. 22) a research paradigm is a “loose collection of logically related assumptions, concepts and propositions that orient thinking and research” (p. 25). There are two main research paradigms namely the positivist approach and the interpretivist approach. In the proposed research, the positivist approach will be used because it allows the researcher to record phenomena and events that he/she sees or finds out, and then works to discover what caused the phenomenon or event to occur. As Krauss (2005) further observes, the positivist paradigm allows the researcher to adopt an independent position in order to discover an event and/or phenomenon and verify what made them to happen. Notably, this paradigm assumes that data is value-free just as analysis of the same data is; as such, it is assumed that the presence of a researcher does not change the subjects of the research to change how they normally behave (Krauss, 2005). The positivist approach further indicates that the “the world and the universe are deterministic; they operate by laws of cause and effect that are discernable if we apply the unique approach of the scientific method” (Krauss, 2005, p. 760). In other words, the positivist approach indicates that every phenomenon or event can be explained scientifically. Research method: A survey questionnaire will be developed and used on sampled respondents in order to provide quantitative data that will be interpreted using statistical analysis. The development of the questionnaire will follow the seven stages as proposed by Churchill and Iacobucci (2002) and Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2007), whereby, the researcher will follow the seven steps as illustrated in appendix A. A software package (SPSS) will also be used in the analysis phase. Data collection: The data for the proposed research will be gathered from two schools which specifically teach children with DS in Riyadh. 5. Research sample As a sampling criterion, one school will be required to be using technology in instructing learners with DS. The other school will need to be using traditional instructional methods, and technology use will be introduced in the course of the research period, and any changes in children’s learning abilities documented. 6. Significance of the research As indicated in the introductory section of this research proposal, not much literature is available regarding the educational situation among children with DS in Saudi Arabia. Even less information is available regarding the use of technology among children learners with DS in the Kingdom. With the foregoing in mind, it is therefore clear that findings from the proposed research will fill an existing gap in knowledge not only about educating children with DS in Saudi Arabia, but also about the impact of technology use among children learners in the kingdom. 7. Limitations of the study The two schools that will be sampled for the research may not be representative of the situation in the larger Saudi Arabia. Since the research will target schools located in Riyadh, it will be hard to generalise the results in the larger Saudi Arabia especially in schools in rural areas of the kingdom and/or integrated schools where children with DS are taught alongside students of normal learning abilities. In future therefore, researchers in Saudi Arabia should target getting more evidence from integrated schools and schools in the wider kingdom. 8. Conclusion There is evidence in literature that the use of technology in educational setups where children with DS are involved has a positive effect on their learning abilities. As noted in this research proposal however, the situation in Saudi Arabia is not only dire because schools for children with DS cannot accommodate the entire student population who need the same services, but also because not much research has been done about the same subject as evident from the scanty literature sources. Fortunately, Saudi Arabia can borrow lessons from elsewhere in the world where technology is being used to educate children with DS. Notably however, in addition to introducing the use of technology, schools in Saudi Arabia that educate children with DS must first appreciate the role technology has to play in the children’s lives, and must be willing to match the needs and abilities of the children with the right assistive technology. Ideally, the proposed research will help stakeholders in Saudi Arabian education to realise the benefits of infusing technology in schools that cater for children with DS, identify best practice, and identify areas of improvement. References Al-Shawaf, R. & Al-Faleh, W. (2011). Craniofacial characteristics in Saudi Down’s syndrome. King Saud University Journal of Dental Sciences 2(1), 17-22. Bennett, S. J., Holmes, J., & Buckley, S. (2013). Computerised memory training leads to sustained improvement in visuospatial short-term memory skills in children in Down syndrome. American Journal on Intellectual and Development Disabilities 118(3), 179-192. Burgoyne, K., Duff, F., Snowling, M., Buckley, S., & Hulme, C. (2013). Training phoneme blending skills in children with Down syndrome. Child Language Teaching and Therapy 29 (3), 273-290. Churchill, G. A. & Iacobucci, D. (2002). Marketing research: methodological foundations. 8th ed. Orlando: Harcourt College Publishers. Down syndrome Education International. (2013). Development and learning. Retrieved November 22, 2013, from http://www.dseinternational.org/en-gb/about-down-syndrome/development/ Hasselbring, T. S. & Glaser, C. H. (2000). Use of computer technology to help students with special needs. The Future of Children 10(2), 102-122. Hayes, H. B. (2013). How technology is helping special-needs students excel. EdTech – Focus on K-12. Retrieved November 23, 2013, from http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2013/03/how-technology-helping-special-needs-students-excel Hu, R., Feng, J., Lazar, J., & Kumin, L. (2013). Investigating input technologies for children and young adults with Down syndrome. Univ Access Inf Soc 12, 89-104. Krauss, S. E. (2005). Research paradigms and meaning marketing: A primer. The qualitative report 10 (4), 758-770. Layton, T. L. (2011). Technology use for children with Down syndrome: The iPad. Talk & Total Communication. Retrieved November 22, 2013, from: http://www.talkandtotal.com/2011/05/technology-use-for-children-with-down-syndrome-the-ipad/ Lester, B. (2012). The use of technology in special education classroom. Atomic Learning. Retrieved November 23, 2013, from: http://blogs.atomiclearning.com/use-technology-special-education-classroom Microsoft® (2012). Down syndrome Corporation: school uses gaming system to enrich learning for students with Down syndrome. Microsoft® Case Studies. Retrieved November 22, 2013, from: http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?CaseStudyID=710000000282 Murkherji, P. & Albon, D. (2009). Research methods in early childhood: an introductory guide. London: Sage. Royer, R. (2013). The Saut education and training centre. Retrieved November 22, 2013, from: http://www.anewera4ds.org/saudiarabia.php Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2007). Research methods for business students. 4th ed. London: Prentice Hall. Stylianos, E. A., Lyle, R., Dermitzakis, E.T., Retmond, A.R., & Deutsch, S. (2004). Chromosome 21 and down syndrome: from genomics to pathophysiology. Nature Review Genetics 5, 725-738. Appendix A: The questionnaire development process Source: Churchill and Iacobucci (2002). Read More