Breaking silence: unveiling the multilingual repertoire of Chinese deaf and hard-of-hearing English learners

Qin, Xuewu

Abstract

Research on the multilingual practices of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students in non-English-speaking countries is limited, particularly in understanding their language use and preferences in educational settings. This study addresses this gap by investigating the linguistic practices and communication preferences of Chinese DHH English learners. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study involved a demographic questionnaire with 83 students (44 high school and 39 university participants) and semi-structured interviews with four English teachers. The questionnaire captured demographic details, language use, and communication preferences, while the interviews provided insights into teachers’ perspectives on their students’ linguistic needs. Findings show that these students possess diverse multilingual repertoires, utilising various language modalities–including Chinese Sign Language (CSL), spoken Chinese, Signed Chinese, lip reading and more–depending on the context. However, teachers recognised this diversity but did not demonstrate effective strategies to deal with the students’ diverse needs, highlighting the need for systematic professional development. This study offers practical recommendations for enhancing teaching practices and policies to better support the multilingual needs of DHH learners in China.

Citation

Qin, X. (2025). Breaking silence: unveiling the multilingual repertoire of Chinese deaf and hard-of-hearing English learners. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2025.2525386

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 20, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Jun 30, 2025
• Publication Date: Jun 30, 2025
• Deposit Date: Jul 7, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 7, 2025
• Journal: Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development
• Print ISSN: 0143-4632
• Electronic ISSN: 1747-7557
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2025.2525386
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/51339130
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01434632.2025.2525386#abstract