In inclusive classrooms, teaching English as a second language to students with and without hearing impairment has been a challenge, especially, in higher education (Lang, 2002). Some problems have been found for both groups of students.  First, students with hearing impairment may develop English skills at a slower rate than hearing students (Andrews, Leigh, & Weiner, 2004; Gearheart, Weishahn, & Gearheart, 1996; Luckner & Friend, 2006). Second, due to the difficulty in communicating and underdeveloped speech and language skills, students with hearing impairment may have fewer social interactions with hearing students so students with hearing impairment tend to have fewer friends and are at risk for loneliness (Hallahan & Kauffman, 2003; Luckner & Friend, 2006; Moores, 2001).  In addition, a number of studies have suggested that students with hearing impairment, especially in higher education classrooms, may not be able to actively participate in class activities due to the teaching pace, the number of speakers involved, and language differences (Foster, Long, & Snell, 1999). 

In Thailand, students with hearing impairment use Thai sign language as their first language (Dangsaart et all, 2008), learning English as a foreign language is thus one of the big challenges in higher education study (Deaf port project, 2008).  The preliminary studied by Suthipiyapathra, Vibulphol, and Prongsantia (2015) found that inclusive classrooms gave the opportunity for students with and without hearing impairment to make new friends and learned to adjust themselves with people who are different from them.  However, students with hearing impairment and hearing students didn’t often interact with each other.  In addition, students with hearing impairment didn’t get much involved in classroom activities, especially, listening and speaking activities.

Thus, this study aimed to develop an English instructional model to enhance English learning achievement, social skills, and learning engagement of undergraduate students with and without hearing impairment in inclusive classrooms.

In inclusive classrooms which include students with and without hearing impairment, a “one-size-fits-all” approach in which all students receive the same instruction may not work effectively (Haager & Klingner, 2005).  This study therefore proposes an instructional model that integrates the principles of the Differentiated Instruction (DI) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approaches to respond to the diverse needs of the learners in inclusive English as a second language classrooms.  According to Udvari-Solner, Villa, and Thousand (2005), Differentiated Instruction (DI) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) are well suited with each other because Universal Design for Learning is “a systematic decision- making method for differentiation” (p.138).  To elaborate, Differentiated Instruction (DI) allows the teacher to differentiate elements of a curriculum (content, process, and product) in order to engage and maximize the learning potential of each student (Tomlinson et al., 2003) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides each learner equal opportunities to learn and support the different learning needs of the diverse students in inclusive classrooms by using flexible instructional materials, teaching methods, and assessment (Hall, Strangman, & Meyer, 2003; Udvari-Solner, Villa, & Thousand, 2005). The integration of these two approaches will therefore complement each other to serve the needs of the learners in inclusive classrooms. 

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