| This dissertation documents historical patterns and issues of mathematics education for the deaf during the nineteenth century from a historical perspective. Until this time, little has been known about mathematics curriculum and instruction for the deaf since the establishment of the American Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1817, from this nature of study. This study contributes new information to the field of deaf education through a detailed analysis of the mathematics education reforms for the deaf in America during the nineteenth century. By using primary sources, this historical research study brings to light a new understanding of mathematics instruction and curricula for the deaf. Some key findings of this study are: (a) mathematics teachers nowadays are facing the very same issues that were brought up during the nineteenth century; (b) the influence of curriculum and instruction for the deaf shifted from one school to another throughout the late nineteenth century; (c) possible problems associated with mathematics teaching and learning for deaf children were discussed among professional teachers; (d) the pendulum shifts between the two tents of teaching paradigms, traditional and modern; and (e) the evolution of sign language for numbers was largely influenced by how teachers taught number values to the deaf. |
