Creating a response space in multiparty classroom settings for students using eye-gaze accessed speech-generating...

Area of Science:

• Education
• Linguistics
• Assistive Technology

Background:

• Inclusive education requires effective communication strategies for students with disabilities.
• Students with severe disabilities often use speech-generating devices (SGDs) for communication.
• Eye-gaze technology offers a means for accessing SGDs for individuals with limited motor control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze how teachers, assistants, and peers facilitate classroom interaction for students using eye-gaze accessed SGDs.
• To identify scaffolding and collaborative practices that enable SGD-mediated turns.
• To understand how these practices contribute to the educational inclusion of students with disabilities.

Main Methods:

• Conversation Analysis of video recordings from inclusive classrooms.
• Focus on multiparty interactions involving students with severe cerebral palsy and intellectual disability using eye-gaze SGDs.
• Analysis of specific interactional practices, including turn allocation and scaffolding.

Main Results:

• Three key practices were identified: explicit turn allocation with display questions, on-screen scaffolding, and managing turn competition.
• Differences were observed in teacher and assistant practices regarding vocabulary access for SGD users.
• These practices collectively created a 'response space' for students using eye-gaze SGDs.

Conclusions:

• Specific interactional practices are crucial for enabling students who use eye-gaze SGDs to participate in classroom discourse.
• Scaffolding and collaborative organization by adults and peers are vital for educational inclusion.
• Further research into these practices can inform better support for students with communication disabilities.