About this srcd poster session

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Panel information
Panel 8. Education, Schooling

Abstract

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Introduction

The digital transformation of education, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, presents unique challenges and opportunities for adolescents with hearing loss (HL) who are increasingly integrated into mainstream educational settings. Therefore, some of the most important factors for academic success in the 21st century, such as ICT (information and communication technology) competence and self-efficacy (OECD, 2018; Richardson et al., 2012), have become vital skills for effective learning and communication for adolescents with HL (Cuevas et al., 2019). Despite the growing importance of ICT and subjective learner skills in education, there is limited research on how these factors specifically affect adolescents with HL in digital and online learning. This study aimed to investigate ICT usage and assess digital and online self-efficacy and preparedness among adolescents with HL compared to their typically hearing (TH) peers, providing insights for developing inclusive digital and online environments.

Method

The sample included 138 Swedish adolescents; 50 with HL (M = 15.7 years, range = 12.0–19.4) and 88 with TH (M =16.3 years, range = 12.9–19.2). The HL group was divided into adolescents with profound bilateral HL and using cochlear implants (CI) (N = 20), with moderate to severe bilateral HL and using hearing aids (HA) (N = 13), and with unilateral or mild bilateral HL (UMHL) (N = 17). All had spoken Swedish as their first language, except one who had Swedish sign language as the first language. The study is part of a larger Nordic collaborative investigation, composed of self-reported and parental online survey data. Measures included here are questions about ICT usage, and digital and online learning self-efficacy and preparedness.

Results

A one-way ANOVA revealed no significant differences in ICT usage (F = 2.081 (3, 138), p = .106), in general digital self-efficacy (F = 0.692 (2, 50), p = .506) or in online learning self-efficacy (F = 0.451 (2, 50), p = .640) between the four groups. However, there were differences approaching significance in feelings of overall preparedness for future online learning, (F = 2.633, (3, 130), p = .053), with follow-up t-tests revealing that the UMHL group scored significantly lower than the TH (p = .014) and the HA (p = .030) groups. No other significant differences were found between the groups.

Discussion

Our results suggest that adolescents with HL we studied generally demonstrated ICT usage and overall digital and online learning self-efficacy comparable to their TH peers. This is an encouraging finding, indicating that HL does not necessarily impede the development of digital skills. However, the UMHL group felt less prepared for future online learning than the TH and HA groups. Recent research has highlighted the unique challenges of children with UMHL, suggesting that they are at risk in their psychological development (Winiger et al., 2018). Our findings indicate a need for targeted interventions to enhance digital preparedness for the UMHL adolescents ensuring the development of inclusive digital and online environments.

Author information

Author	Role
Sara Szepanski, University of Gothenburg, Department of Psychology	Presenting author
Kerttu Huttunen, University of Oulu	Non-presenting author
Nina Jakhelln Laugen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology	Non-presenting author
Pernilla Larsman, University of Gothenburg	Non-presenting author
Karin Strid, University of Gothenburg	Non-presenting author
Marek Meristo, University of Gothenburg	Non-presenting author

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