Drafting lit rev 3 text

Devising the educational intervention for lesson study

Design-based research typically recommends that the initial design of materials, activities, or prototypes should be informed by a thorough literature review (Anderson & Shattuck, 2012; McKenney & Reeves, 2013). Given the absence of specific curriculum models or established teaching approaches for digital accessibility awareness within Key Stage 2 education, this section of the literature review will provide insight from other educational contexts to recommend learning objectives and instructional activities related to teaching the topic. Additionally, as it has been previously identified that teachers may lack digital accessibility subject knowledge to be able to teach the subject (Shinohara et al, 2018; Parthasarathy and Joshi, 2024; Soares Guedes and Landoni; 2020), so it will also draw upon existing teacher training literature to inform the initial teacher training component of this study. These findings will help to identify the relevant subject knowledge for teachers, as well as offer a framework of learning objectives for participating teachers to plan and integrate digital accessibility awareness into their own upper Key Stage 2 classrooms. 

The literature indicates a diverse range of pedagogical approaches for integrating and teaching digital accessibility, identifying multiple methods, such as stand-alone programs, integration of accessibility across an entire curriculum, accessibility as a discrete course, or its inclusion as a module within a larger computing curriculum (Baker, El-Glaly, and Shinohara, 2020; Putnam et al, 2016). Despite this breadth of approaches, no comprehensive framework or definitive list of learning objectives or recommendations have been established to characterize digital accessibility education or the competencies required (Elglaly et al., 2024; Baker et al., 2020). However, existing literature does provide useful insights into the types of learning objectives covered (Baker et al., 2020; Lewthwaite & Sloan, 2016), appropriate pedagogical strategies deployed (Putnam et al., 2016; Baker et al., 2020) and determines some of the more foundational concepts suitable for beginners (Hope, 2020; Gay (2023).

In terms of appropriate learning objectives, the teaching of digital accessibility has been identified as multifaceted in nature, with Lewthwaite and Sloan (2016) arguing that, effective instruction for digital accessibility requires a combination of three core learning areas: theoretical understanding (e.g., disabilities, ethics, and discrimination), procedural knowledge (e.g., guidelines, legal frameworks, and processes), and technical skills development. Supporting this perspective, Baker et al. (2020) conducted a systematic review of 51 computing education papers and identified four primary categories of learning objectives:

1. Awareness of accessibility, including disability types, laws, and ethics
2. Technical knowledge, such as accessibility guidelines, WCAG standards, and accessibility testing
3. Empathy, encompassing inclusive design principles and an understanding of barriers faced by individuals with disabilities
4. Career pathways related to accessibility

The findings indicate that while the first three objectives are widely emphasized, the fourth objective of career opportunities received comparatively less attention (Elglaly et al; 2024; Baker et al, 2020). Key topics frequently addressed across the literature include universal design principles, application of accessibility guidelines, and foundational disability awareness, each appearing in over 50% of reviewed studies (Baker et al, 2020). More recently, Elglaly et al. (2024) synthesized accessibility-related computing and educational literature and consulted with subject matter experts with over 40 years of combined experience to identify key topics. Their findings echo similar categorisations that digital accessibility knowledge fits into five fundamental units: disability awareness, accessibility design, accessibility implementation, accessibility evaluation, and accessibility career development. In the context of teacher training, career progression for the accessibility profession would not necessarily be relevant to teacher training or for teaching the basics of digital accessibility awareness in primary schools at Key Stage 2.

These reviews of the literature however explore these objectives from the perspective of teaching digital accessibility within specialist disciplines or courses related to web development, human computer interaction, assistive technologies and software development in tertiary education (Parthasarathy and Joshi, 2024), which does not necessarily equally represent or reflect the teaching of basic foundational concepts at Key Stage 2. However, from a foundational perspective, Gay (2023) adds that learning outcomes such as starting with the basics of accessibility, introducing reasoning for addressing accessibility, business cases and laws from around the world, and describing barriers that people with different disabilities might experience with digital content are still relevant. Echoed by Weeden (2023) that by combining the consensus of concepts such as accessibility guidelines, accessibility laws, assistive technology, empathy, general disability knowledge, testing, and content creation for universal design can be easily implemented. Similar insights were established as early as Pearson and Koppi (2003), who proposed learning objectives and activities focusing on disability-related barriers, assistive technologies, accessibility evaluation, and inclusive design strategies.

In teacher training and workplace settings, the core learning objectives for digital accessibility education remain consistent. Mancilla and Frey (2021) identify key components of digital accessibility training for educators, including disability awareness, accessibility legislation, WCAG accessibility standards, assistive technologies, accessible content creation as well as digital accessibility through the lens of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a teaching framework for inclusive classroom practices (Cast, 2024). Further emphasis for the need for teacher training programs related to digital accessibility to incorporate multidisciplinary concepts is echoed by Bong and Chen (2020), following the need to quickly upskill teachers during COVID. Bong and Chen (2020) used the literature to identify a list of recommendations for use in teacher training to introduce and build teachers’ competence in digital accessibility. They similarly refer to literature regarding:

·       foundational training on relevant legislation and regulations (Murray et al. 2009; Murray et al. 2014; Hsiao et al. 2019; Whiting 2018; Burgstahler 2003; Kontio and Radtke 2019; Pearson 2003; Fraser and Sanders 2004; Heap and Thompson 2018; Hope 2020a)

·       training on accessibility standards and guidelines, particularly web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) (Kontio and Radtke 2019; Heap and Thompson 2018)

·       training on the concepts of universal design for learning (UDL) (Regadas and Ribeiro 2011)

·       equipping teachers with hands-on experienced using assistive technology (AT) (Pearson and Koppi, 2003)

·       providing hands-on practice and workshops for making content accessible (e.g. video captioning; remediating Word, PowerPoint, and PDF files) (Kontio and Radtke 2019; Pearson 2003; Pearson and Koppi 2003; Heap and Thompson 2018; Park, Roberts, and Stodden 2012)

These conclusions reaffirm Lewthwaite and Sloan’s (2016) assertion that digital accessibility education is inherently interdisciplinary. For Key Stage 2 education, this suggests that teachers need a broad initial foundation of subject matter learning. It also highlights that the development and piloting of one single ‘research lesson’ for lesson study may be insufficient, necessitating an approach that would need to incorporate multiple intervention lessons to address the range of learning objectives relevant to the topic.

Sequencing the learning experience…

With a level of consensus about the topics needed to teach digital accessibility to both learners or within teacher training, there is still concern that is it difficult to initially engage or enrol participants to learn about the topic (Putnam et al, 2016; Putnam, Rose and Macdonald, 2023; Keates, 2015; Bohman, 2012). 

For example, electives, drop subject or teacher engagement in the topic…

Because of this, Putnam et al (2016) emphasise the importance of needing to positively engage learners from the offset with meaningful content and learning experiences. This suggests that the order of learning objectives and activities can potentially play a crucial part in motivating learners to initially engage and well as to help teachers to plan an engaging and appropriate lesson intervention for their own classroom context. 

WCAG starting point and the challenges…

As a starting point, legislation and guidelines can serve as a widely recognized means of introducing the importance of digital accessibility. They can act as an ideal framework for outlining the minimum legal standards required for accessibility, as well as drive the standards for compliance that can shape both legal and societal understandings of accessibility. By framing digital accessibility within legal standards, learners can gain a broader awareness of its real-world significance and the necessity of addressing accessibility barriers (ref). Many research studies incorporate WCAG as a core component of teaching digital accessibility (refs). However, there are suggestion that WCAG can be particularly challenging for beginners to grasp (ref). 

Offer examples….

Notably, even individuals with a background in computer science often struggle to fully understand its principles.

In a broader review of teaching strategies, Putnam (2015) interviewed XNumberXdigital accessibility teachers to find out about effectively introducing the topic of digital accessiblity. Responses in the study commonly mentioned how difficult it was to initially engage students when starting with the legal and technical topics related to accessibility (Putnam, 2015). Exploring introductory topics further, and consolidating these findings Putnam et al (2016, p.17) directly refer to a comment where a teacher participant identified that, “I’ve found that if I teach students the rules and the laws for accessibility that they fall asleep and do a terrible job on their project, so I have shifted towards trying to build empathy”. 

While legal and regulatory frameworks are crucial for contextualizing digital accessibility within broader societal rights, Thompson (2024) recommends starting with awareness and empathy first as this serves as an important and powerful frame of reference before progressing to legal, technical, and design-related aspects of accessibility. 

 

Research suggests that experiential learning is the most impactful instructional approach to raise awareness (Kearney-Volpe et al., 2019; Heap & Thompson, 2018). Experiential learning reinforces the human-centred perspective and social model of disability (Thompson, 2024) and has been widely incorporated in accessibility education (Mankoff, 2006; Carter & Fourney, 2007; El-Glaly, 2020; Weeden, 2023). This approach enables learners to experience inaccessibility firsthand, fostering motivation to develop the necessary technical competencies to create accessible solutions (Putnam, 2015; El-Glaly, 2020)…

Similarly, Shinohara et al. (2018) found that the most frequently cited objective in accessibility education was developing an understanding of technology-related barriers for individuals with disabilities. Studies by Parthasarathy and Joshi (2024) and Putnam et al. (2016) further corroborate the effectiveness of prioritizing empathy-building activities, reinforcing the assertion that starting with legal and technical concepts is less effective in engaging learners (Putnam, 2015)…

 

Example such as….

To consolidate accessibility awareness and facilitate practical knowledge acquisition, instructional strategies should include hands-on digital content creation (Bartlett, Warren, & Ehrlich, 2024; Sanderson, Kessel, & Chen, 2022). Awareness and empathy alone are insufficient as calls to action (Horton, 2021) therefore, introductory courses should integrate foundational digital accessibility principles for both technical and non-technical learners (Thompson, 2024). Hope (2020), Christopherson (2022), and Wilson (2020) highlight the importance of simple, practical skills for beginners. The SCULPT framework, recently updated to encompass key accessibility principles, represents an effective model for addressing common accessibility barriers in digital content. Given the time constraints faced by teachers (Shinohara et al., 2018), concise instructional formats, such as short workshops or practical demonstrations of core accessibility features in tools like Word and PowerPoint, may enhance training effectiveness (Lohman, 2024; Zhang & Sickel, 2024; Medrano & Fundell, 2024).

Conclude with ENABLE as a framework to situate the learning objectives.