Accessible and engaging voices: Teaching English to adult second-language learners with visual impairment using WhatsApp voice notes in India

Abstract

This case study explored the possibility of using WhatsApp voice notes to teach English to adult learners with visual impairment. The study has documented in detail the challenges and advantages of learning and teaching English through WhatsApp. In this case study, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and integrated and analysed to understand feasibility of using WhatsApp to teach English to learners with visual impairment. Even though the case study was primarily qualitative, some quantitative data were also collected and analysed numerically. The numerical data were analysed using descriptive statistics and reported using numbers and in the form of tables and figures. Furthermore, non-numerical data were examined inductively and reported thematically. The advantage of using WhatsApp voice notes was that it provided a platform for the learners to converse in English and an opportunity to reflect on their own learning process and progress critically. It provided a collaborative learning experience independent of the conventional learning experience of a classroom. The study revealed that the learners with visual impairment were more engaged in the learning process and in improving their speaking skill when WhatsApp voice notes were used. The coding of messages and detailed analysis of message categories clearly revealed the social-emotional skills of each participant in the study. The message categories were adapted from Community of Inquiry Framework and message categories suggested by Naaman et al.