DEAF CULTURE AND ICT. VARIABLES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILEAN SIGN LANGUAGE

Abstract

Sign language development for the deaf community is essential, as it constitutes its cultural, communication and learning heritage, especially when it involves deaf students. This paper analyzes the relationship between conversational competence in LSCh and the variables knowledge of deaf culture and access to ICT at home. It is a research with a quantitative approach and a correlational design carried out with 75 deaf students from southern Chile, with an average age of 13 years old. The main results point out that most of the participants show a low conversational level of competence and the independent variables are positively and significantly related to the development of this competence. It is suggested to carry out a planned work in the school that includes the teaching of LSCh through deaf co-educators, the strengthening of the deaf culture and the use of ICT beyond the curriculum.