Language of Instruction and Literacy Development in Deaf Children Across South West Nigerian Special Schools

This study investigates the relationship between language of instruction and literacy development in deaf children across special schools in South West Nigeria, comparing outcomes across schools using different linguistic instructional approaches. Deaf education globally grapples with fundamental questions about whether instruction should be delivered in spoken or signed languages, and how bilingual, bimodal, or oralist approaches affect the acquisition of reading and writing in national languages. In South West Nigeria, instructional language practices vary considerably across schools, yet their differential effects on literacy development have not been empirically studied. Using an ex-post facto comparative design, the study identifies three instructional language groups: schools using Nigerian Sign Language as primary medium, schools using primarily spoken English, and schools using a bimodal approach. Twenty schools from Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo States are surveyed, and literacy achievement is assessed in one hundred and eighty students across these groups using Braille-free adapted literacy assessment tools. Analysis employs one-way multivariate analysis of variance and pairwise comparisons to identify group differences. The study controls for hearing loss severity, age of diagnosis, and socioeconomic background. Findings are expected to provide the first empirical comparison of instructional language effects on deaf literacy in South West Nigeria, contributing to an evidence base for instructional policy development. Recommendations include developing a bilingual-bicultural deaf education pilot programme in Lagos State. Keywords: language of instruction, literacy development, deaf children, South West Nigeria, bilingual education.