The Consequence Deafness has on the Psychological and Academic Development of deaf students. The case of Alpha special school for the deaf in Addis Ababa, Hermata and Mendera Junior School at Jimma Town

Abstract

This study attempts to investigate the consequence deafness has on the social psychological and academic development of deaf students with particular reference to Alpha Special School for the Deaf in Addis Ababa ,Hermata and Mendera junior grade levels at Jimma town.. An earnest attempt was also made to look in to the self concept differences between the prilingually and postlingually deaf students using a t –test at a 0.05 level of significance .Qualitative and quantitative study designs were used to investigate and explore the psychosocial and academic problems faced by the deaf students with their social interactions with their family members, hearing peers, and teachers and hearing people in their respective communities and its implication on the academic profile. The empirical data was based mainly on questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions. Using purposive sampling technique, 107 respondents out of which 65 were deaf students, 18 parents and the rest 24 were teachers. Questionnaires were administered for the students, interviews and focus group discussion for parents and teachers to fetch adequate information for the study. Some case records of the sampled deaf students and classroom observation were also used as a supplement and complement to the other methods. The finding of the study shows that deaf students have encountered social and psychological problems at different social contexts which in turn bring about major academic problems. Among the major social problems deaf students in this study faced are peoples' negative attitude towards them, societies' unawareness of the potentials of the deaf students, little or no participation in social gatherings and mistreatment by the hearing people. Deaf students of this study also faced such psychological problems as feeling of inadequacy, inferiority, shame, and rejection. Language problems, problem of mathematics and problems related to abstract thinking were also identified to be notable academic problems of the deaf in this study.. Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences Vol. 1 (2) 2006: pp. 61-88