The Impact of Pragmatic Delays for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in Mainstream Classrooms

Abstract

Increasingly, across the globe, deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students are educated in mainstream schools using spoken language for communication. Classroom interactions require the use of sophisticated pragmatic language skills. Pragmatic skills can be delayed in DHH students and create challenges for the social and emotional adjustment of DHH students at school. School-aged DHH children may present to pediatric health care providers with concerns about communicating effectively and forming friendships with hearing school peers. This review of pragmatic research between school-aged DHH students and their typically hearing peers reveals that this group of students displays some well-developed pragmatic skills such as turn taking, questioning, seeking general clarifications, and using a range of turn types. In it, we identify key areas in which DHH students experience significant challenges in both the social use of language and expository interactions (involving descriptions or explanations) that characterize classroom communication. DHH students tend to dominate interactions and have challenges with being contingent on their partners' contributions. In addition, many DHH students display some difficulty with sequencing instructions and may use referents poorly, making it difficult for peers to follow their instructions and fully grasp their meaning. The conversation model is presented in this article as a guide for pediatric health care providers, clinicians, educators, and parents and/or caregivers to understand these pragmatic challenges. The model guides medical and education practitioners with the development of targeted intervention that will support these students' ability to interact with others, learn more effectively, and develop friendships.

If online learning works for you, what about deaf students? Emerging challenges of online learning for deaf and hearing-impaired students during COVID-19: a literature review

“…The lack of simultaneous translation was also one of the major obstacles to address [ 61 ]. Finally, delays in mainstream and remote classroom setup while interacting with deaf students or asking questions were a significant problem (since deaf students use sign language to ask questions), which the translator then interprets to the instructor [ 70 , 71 ]. The findings of Alqraini and Alasim [ 72 ] highlighted deaf students’ lack of focus during classes, as they choose to play games on their devices instead of paying attention to the ongoing lesson.…”

“…For instance, deaf students have faced emotional challenges due to isolation from their classmates and lack of access to important information during the pandemic [ 34 , 90 ]. The fact that most deaf students have experience impractical delays has also led to emotional and social issues among them [ 1 , 70 ]. All these challenges have led to numerous mental health problems and unforeseen psychological impacts [ 91 ].…”

“…The technology used in deaf education must ensure that the audio is clear and with self-explanatory images, the activities taught should be easy due to the online learning challenges, and there should be concerted efforts from all stakeholders [ 60 ]. Furthermore, deaf students should be given mental health services, training on pragmatic skills, be provided with hearing aids, be encouraged to read, and also be facilitated to gain information during the pandemic [ 1 , 34 , 70 , 90 ]. It is also recommended that parents look for suitable online educational programs, find opportunities for exposure to deaf students, communicate with deaf and hard-of-hearing students, enable deaf and hard-of-hearing students to socialize, and assist them in getting the services they need [ 92 ].…”

“…The problem is worse in rural areas and those with high levels of poverty [ 2 ]. As further indicated by Paatsch and Toe [ 70 ], global research has shown that many deaf students attend mainstream classes that do not have adequate support for the difficulties that such students face. It has also been demonstrated that deaf students face challenges when using Zoom platforms, especially given that the platform has a steep learning curve and its features are not easily understood by all students [ 11 ].…”

I Cannot See You—The Perspectives of Deaf Students to Online Learning during COVID-19 Pandemic: Saudi Arabia Case Study

“…Another piece of research by Swanwick et al [35] was conducted in Ghana to determine how the pandemic had affected deaf education and found that exclusion for DHH students was different in various cultural contexts and developmental areas. Research by Paatsch and Toe [36] utilized a literature review methodology and indicated that DHH students in typical classrooms developed pragmatic skills and proposed using the conversation model to deal with the challenges faced by such students. Finally, Tomasuolo et al [37] conducted exploratory research in Italy and found that initiatives at the political and informal level promoted sign language and assisted in DHH education during the pandemic.…”