The integration experience of hearing impaired elementary school students in separated and integrated school settings

Am Ann Deaf. 2010 Summer;155(3):369-76. doi: 10.1353/aad.2010.0015.

Abstract

Integration experiences of hearing impaired German elementary school students in separate educational settings (n = 31) were compared with those of counterparts at the same level in integrated settings (n = 26), and evaluated in regard to psychosocial behavior, semantic-lexical abilities, and communicative skills. Analysis of questionnaire responses and intelligence subtests showed that the only difference between the samples concerned perceived well-being in school, and favored the integrated students. Other percentages of variance are explainable by school type (10%), parents' hearing status (12%), and use of bimodal communication (11%). The integrated students demonstrated a higher level of integration experience, associated with fewer psychosocial abnormalities and better communicative skills. The results indicate that educational setting is not the only factor influencing students' perceived well-being. Other contextual factors, e.g., hearing status of parents and communicative skills, have a similar positive impact on integration experiences

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Child Behavior*
  • Communication
  • Education of Hearing Disabled*
  • Education, Special*
  • Female
  • Germany
  • Humans
  • Intelligence Tests
  • Learning*
  • Mainstreaming, Education*
  • Male
  • Parent-Child Relations
  • Persons With Hearing Impairments / psychology
  • Social Environment
  • Students* / psychology
  • Surveys and Questionnaires