Personal Factors That Influence Deaf College Students' Academic Success

Abstract

Research tells us that academic preparation is key to deaf students' success at college. Yet, that is not the whole story. Many academically prepared students drop out during their first year. This study identified entering deaf college students' personal factors as assessed by their individual responses to both the Noel-Levitz College Student Inventory Form B and the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, second edition (LASSI). Entering students in 3 successive cohorts (total n =437) participated in this study. Results show that in addition to entry measurements of reading and mathematic skills, personal factors contributed to the academic performance of students in their first quarter in college. The Noel-Levitz provided the comparatively better predictive value of academic performance: Motivation for Academic Study Scale (e.g., desire to finish college). The LASSI also showed statistically significant predictors, the Self-Regulation Component (e.g., time management) and Will Component (e.g., self-discipline), but accounted for relatively less variability in the students' initial grade point averages. For this group of underprepared students, results show that personal factors can play a significant role in academic success. Deaf students' personal factors are discussed as they relate to other first-year college students and to their subsequent academic performance and persistence.

The Perceived Effects/Impacts of Auditory Deficiency on the Social and Academic Behavior of Students in Hail, Saudi Arabia

“…English and Math were chosen as competent subjects by the normal hearing group indicating that our SDHH were behind their peers in these subjects. This is in line with other studies who also found the English and Math levels of SDHH to be behind that of their peers [51].…”

“…Most of the hearing students in this study were truthful in their abilities at school, However most of the SDHH in this study said their performance was excellent and none of them reported average or below average performances, these overestimated performances are also in line with another study that found that students whose grade point average (GPA) placed them in lower ranges of performance overestimated their own academic performance and those whose GPA placed them in a higher range were more truthful with their performance [51].…”

“…This coincides with one study that also found a similar weakness among SDHH using these parameters. Students who were assessed as having strengths in these areas obtained significantly higher GPAs than did those who were assessed as having weaknesses [51].…”

“…The development of audiological services in other school health centers in the country will help with better treatment outcomes [51].…”

Science Teacher Candidates’ Learning and Studying Strategies in the Context of Self-regulation

“…The LASSI scale has been used different purpose and adapted for many other populations. For instance, deaf students' success at college level (Albertini, Kelly, & Matchett, 2012), at collage developmental students level (Deming, Valeri-Gold, & Idleman, 1994), African American at precollege students level (Flowers, Bridges, & Moore, 2012), university students' academic achievement (Taheri et al, 2017), Chinese version of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (Yip, 2013), Qatar; at university student level (Alkhateeb & Nasser, 2014). In the early developmental stage of LASSI, 19 general categories were determined from survey of published study skills materials.…”