| Abstract: This study will analyze how teachers’ and caregivers’ beliefs about deafness are reflected in educational and caregiving practices related to the language development of deaf and hard-of-hearing preschool children in Costa Rica, distinguishing between contexts in which Costa Rican Sign Language (LESCO) is
used and those in which it is not. The research adopts a sociocultural and linguistic justice perspective that understands deafness as a linguistic and cultural difference and recognizes early access to a natural and accessible language as an essential condition for cognitive, social, emotional, and educational development.
The study will use a mixed-methods concurrent triangulation design, combining an adapted version of the BADE scale, semi-structured interviews, and non-participant observations involving teachers and caregivers.
The proposal seeks to understand the relationship between adults’ beliefs, educational practices, and children’s effective opportunities to access language, as well as to identify the institutional and sociocultural conditions that promote or restrict the use of LESCO. The expected results include evidence on prevailing beliefs, differences between reported and observed practices, available educational and family support, and the tensions between the legal recognition of LESCO and its everyday implementation.
The findings are expected to inform teacher education, family support, educational policy, and pedagogical strategies aimed at preventing language deprivation and promoting accessible, inclusive, and culturally responsive environments for deaf and hard-of-hearing children in Costa Rica. |