New Zealand Secondary School Teachers’ perspectives on supporting students who are hard of hearing or deaf.

Abstract

Aims: The study aimed to develop an understanding of New Zealand Secondary school teachers’ perspectives on educating students who are DHH. The current study investigated teachers’ perspectives on the benefits and challenges of mainstream school placement for students who are DHH. Additionally, this study aimed to identify teachers’ professional educational needs to support their teaching of students who are DHH.

Methods: A 44-item anonymous survey was developed using the Qualtrics online platform, based on instruments used in research by Coombe (2018), Lass et al. (1985), Roppolo (2016) and McKee and Smith (2003). The survey included questions requiring a range of closed or open text responses. The survey was fully completed by 134 New Zealand secondary school teachers. Thematic analysis was undertaken to analyse responses from open-ended text responses using an approach developed by Braun and Clarke (2006).

Results: Teachers described the use of communication strategies, written material, to support and accommodate students who are DHH. The main benefits of mainstream placement for students who are DHH, outlined by teachers included; social integration, development of communication skills, access to standardised academic expectations and wide range of curriculum. The main challenges of students who are DHH and mainstream placement included; ineffective individualised support, communication barriers and social barriers.

Conclusions: Teachers sampled demonstrated a general awareness of a range of teaching adaptions for students who are DHH, with a good awareness of strategies to support access to spoken communication. Teachers indicated an interest in information on specific learning support strategies for students who are deaf and students who are hard of hearing in their classrooms. Teachers also requested information on promoting inclusion of students who are hard of hearing or deaf in their classrooms. In person courses and consultation with relevant professionals such Advisers on Deaf Children, were indicated to be teachers’ most commonly preferred format of information to assist their teaching of students who are DHH.