ERIC Number: EJ1476546
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jul
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-1471-3802
Available Date: 2025-01-21
Investigating Potential Tactile Strategies of Students with Deafblindness: An Exploratory Study
Maria Papazafiri1; Vassilios Argyropoulos1
Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, v25 n3 p590-602 2025
The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe tactile exploratory behaviours and strategies applied by students with deafblindness when they actively explore objects by touch in terms of their texture and weight. For the needs of the present study, a Delphi consultation methodology was applied by the authors and special education teachers. The students were invited to participate in matching activities with familiar objects focusing on texture and weight, respectively. The analysis revealed that the students adopted a combination of tactile exploratory behaviours and strategies in order to identify an object's texture and weight. It seemed that the tactile exploratory strategy 'Pressure' in combination with a variety of tactile behaviours such as banging, shaking or/and rotating was in common. The results may contribute to the formation of more sophisticated individualized educational plans giving emphasis on active touch. Tactile exploratory strategies procedures are considered to be of high importance for students with deafblindness since they constitute 'roadmaps' for them to build-up their knowledge following a 'kinesthetic reasoning'.
Descriptors: Students with Disabilities, Deaf Blind, Tactile Adaptation, Tactual Perception, Manipulative Materials, Inquiry, Foreign Countries, Special Schools, Preadolescents
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Greece
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Department of Special Education, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece