Ravānshināsī-i Afrād-i Istis̠nāyī (Dec 2023)
Identifying the Educational Challenges of Hearing Impaired Children from the Perspective of Teachers: A Phenomenological Study
Abstract
Abstract Teachers' ignorance of the challenges and different educational needs of students with hearing impairment is an obstacle to achieving the educational goals of this group of students. The aim of the present study was to analyze the lived educational experiences of the teachers of elementary and middle school students with hearing impairment, the challenges faced by the teachers of these students and the solutions. In this research, qualitative approach and descriptive phenomenological method were used. The field of research included the teachers of the school for children with special needs in Sanandaj city in 1401-1402 with the purposeful sampling method. The research tool was a semi-structured interview made by the researcher, which continued until the saturation level with 8 teachers at the primary level and 3 teachers at the secondary level. The findings of the research were presented in two sections: teachers' educational challenges and suggested solutions. The challenges section was presented in three parts: 1. Challenges related to books, facilities, methods and educational tools, 2. Challenges related to teachers' conditions, and 3. Challenges caused by the characteristics and conditions of hearing impaired children and their families. The solutions section was divided into two parts: 1. Solutions implemented by teachers and 2. Suggestions. The results showed that teachers are faced with diverse, complex, multidimensional and beyond educational challenges of normal students during education. Therefore, it is suggested to use methods and solutions that are different from normal students and appropriate to the special conditions of these students when teaching students with hearing impairment. Keywords: Educational Challenges, Hearing Impaired Students, Teachers' Lived Experiences. Extended Abstract Introduction The sense of hearing is one of the most important tools of human perception, and its damage can affect many human abilities. In hearing-impaired children, the development of language skills is different from that of normal children, therefore, incomplete reception of sound stimuli affects the ability of hearing-impaired children to understand language concepts and communication purposes, and makes the person face many limitations. Students with hearing impairment have different characteristics and educational conditions than normal students. Considering the differences of these students from ordinary people, it is expected that the learning and teaching style of these people will be different from others; Therefore, the teachers of these students also face different challenges in the process of teaching them than the teachers of normal students. Identifying educational challenges and solutions used by teachers of students with hearing impairment, in addition to helping to increase the ability and experiences of teachers, will improve the quality of education and as a result, students with hearing impairment will have appropriate education. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to analyze the lived experiences of teachers of students with hearing impairment in primary and first secondary level of the injuries they face and to express the solutions to face these challenges. Research Question(s) Based on the lived experiences of teachers with students with hearing impairment in elementary and first secondary school in Kurdistan province, what challenges do teachers of these education levels face in educational affairs? How can we analyze the ways out of these challenges based on the lived experiences of this group of teachers? Literature Review Vygotsky believes that between the ages of 2 and 7, language has both the role of guiding and directing thinking and the role of transmitting the results of thinking to others (Seif, 2013); Since language is an important factor in cognitive development and learning, a child with hearing loss will have learning problems in the future, especially academics (Kazem Targhee et al., 2011); Children with hearing loss have lower perceptual-cognitive skills compared to children without hearing loss (Garmabi et al., 2016), the negative effect of hearing loss in the academic areas of reading and writing is much more pronounced than math skills (Kakujoybari and Sharifi, 2012). Children with hearing impairment have delays in phoneme recognition, rhyme matching, grammar test and word expression (Ramazani et al., 2021); Therefore, hearing impaired students, only if they have appropriate cognitive training, will be able to achieve some acquired levels of executive functions and emotional intelligence and increase motivational learning strategies like their normal peers (Agha Ziarati et al, 2021). Methodology According to the purpose and questions of the research, the qualitative approach and descriptive phenomenological research method of Van Manen's four-stage type were used. The field of research included the teachers of the deaf school in the academic year 1402-1401. The selection of teachers was based on the purposeful sampling method. The criteria for choosing teachers was their willingness to participate in the interview and having experience working with this group of students. The data collection tool was a researcher-made semi-structured interview. The process of interviews continued based on the principle of stopping data saturation. In total, 8 primary school teachers and 3 first secondary school teachers were interviewed. Open and then axial coding was used for data analysis. To increase the coherence and validity of the findings, the following things were also done: 1. The accuracy of the researchers' opinions and sensitivities in the implementation, implementation, classification and coding of the interviews, review and rethinking of the documents in the research by the researchers. The researchers spent a lot of time reviewing the documents and the text of the interviews and analyzing the content of the answers presented in this research, and tried to control the researchers' bias and prejudice as much as possible. 2. Implementation by the members: in explaining some parts of the work process, after implementing and categorizing the questioning factors and solutions, the final report of the analysis process and the obtained categories was sent to a number of participants, or they were informed about the contents in person. 3. Peer review: using the opinions of several expert colleagues in this field. For this purpose, the points of view of three professors of the Department of Educational Sciences in the field of exceptional children in Farhangian University of Kurdistan and Qom were taken into consideration. Results The research findings were presented in two parts. The challenges facing teachers in three areas: 1-challenges related to books, facilities, methods and educational tools (8 cases), 2-challenges related to the field of teachers (4 cases) and 3-specific challenges caused by the characteristics and conditions of children with Hearing impairment and their families (9 cases) were presented, which analyzed the lived experiences of teachers with students with hearing impairment, and the second part was presented in the two areas of used solutions (23 cases) and suggestions (13 cases). Discussion and Conclusion The results showed that the teachers considered textbooks to be the most important challenge in classroom teaching. However, the teachers did not see the challenges in only one dimension; Rather, they believed that the challenges of children with hearing loss are multidimensional and in several fields. Therefore, in addition to books and special educational materials and tools for this group of students, the conditions of teachers who teach students with hearing impairment in schools and the unique characteristics of students with hearing impairment, as well as the expectations of the families of these students were influential in creating challenges. Also, the results showed that teachers use various strategies to reduce challenges; However, they believe that changes should be made at higher levels of the class, in the way of teaching this group of students. Most of the solutions used and suggested are related to students' eyesight and their practical abilities. In addition, teachers consider the increase of students' motivation to be important in achieving educational goals, and they pay attention to the special emotional needs of this group in relation to the teaching methods they use. A significant part of the solutions is also related to informing and empowering students' families, and this shows that awareness and cooperation of families is a factor for improving the quality and educational process. Acknowledgments The researchers from all the teachers, assistants and the honorable director of Tawakkol Special Education School in Sanandaj, for participating in the interview, as well as three respected professors of Farhangian University (Dr. Arkan Khoshkalam, Dr. Ali Asaadi and Dr. Masoumeh Tawakli) who studied and reviewed the findings of the article. , they expressed some suggestions, they express gratitude.
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