Abstract
The research study explored the experiences of teachers in terms of using Touchpad technology in the teaching of reading learners with Level 2 autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the Intermediate Phase of schooling at a special school.
This qualitative research paper was informed by the interpretivist research paradigm, which aims at comprehending social reality based on the meanings, and experiences bestowed by the participants to their behaviours in particular cultural settings. Interpretivism helped explore deeply the perceptions and experience of teachers regarding touchpad technology in teaching reading to learners with Level 2 autism in a special school. The qualitative approach was employed to conduct an exploratory case study design to reveal in-depth information about the complicated relationships between teaching practices, technology use, as well as the school specific context. Purposive sampling was used to choose experienced teachers who had first-hand experience of touchpad technology integration in Intermediate Phase curriculum. The semi-structured in-depth interviews were chosen because they were flexible and enabled participants (teachers) to present their perspectives, challenges, and suggestions in a rich and nuanced way. To facilitate rigorous analysis, thematic analysis was done in accordance with the six-step process that entailed familiarisation, coding, theme generation and refinement. This research design enabled the research to reveal significant patterns and themes related to the application of assistive technology to aid readers instruction in a specialised learning setting.
The findings were that touchpad technology motivate Intermediate Phase Level 2 learners with autism and promoted the development of specific reading skills of such as decoding letter-sounds and sight-word reading of three-letter , While the findings revealed that, on one hand that the use of touchpad technology is successful in teach specific reading skills at the level of beginning to read, teachers experienced challenges such as lack of adequate classroom management skills, disruptive behaviour and inattentiveness. Teachers also experienced challenges with technology and a lack of confidence in using the touchpad technology as well as contextual factors such as poor connectivity. All challenges limited the effectiveness in teaching reading skills to this group of learners using the touchpad technology. Recommendation suggest that more training is required for teachers to gain confidence in the use of touchpad technology in the teaching of reading skills. In addition, it is recommended that more technological resources and stable connectivity are required to fully support the teaching of reading skills to learners with Level 2 autism.