Monitoring the Achievement of Deaf Pupils in Sweden and Scotland: Approaches and Outcomes

Abstract

Over the past two decades there have been major developments in deaf education in many countries: medical and technical advances have made it possible for more deaf children to hear and speak successfully, and most deaf pupils learn in ordinary classes in mainstream schools. In this article we explore patterns of achievements of deaf pupils to see if these reforms have improved attainment outcomes. International surveys such as PISA do not include deaf pupils. This article describes two independent large-scale surveys about deaf pupils in Sweden and Scotland. The similar results from both countries show that deaf children, after two decades of social reform and technical advances, still lag behind their hearing peers. The results also show how large-scale surveys can contribute to a greater understanding of educational outcomes in a small, vulnerable group and make it possible to continue to reform the field to narrow the achievement gap further. The results further suggest that differing methods in two contrasting educational contexts can lead to some similar results and point to the need for different support to children with hearing loss and language disadvantages

Collaborative working practices in inclusive mainstream deaf education settings: teaching assistant perspectives

“…The majority of deaf 1 students in the UK are educated within mainstream schools (CRIDE, 2015). Despite considerable technological advances in the detection and audiological management of deafness (Uus and Bamford, 2006;Yoshinaga-Itano, 2003), combined with an extensive body of research into the impact of deafness on children's learning (Archbold, 2010;Leigh, 2008), deaf students continue to underachieve in all curriculum areas when compared with their hearing peers (Hendar and O'Neill, 2016). In 2014 just 36.3% of UK deaf students, identified as requiring additional support, gained the expected level of academic qualifications for 16 year olds, in contrast to 56.6% of the general school population (DfE, 2015).…”

Mental Health in Deaf Children

“…By Prof Barry Wright teachers, often with limited training have to make sure that the curriculum is available to those children. A large proportion of deaf children have single gene causes for being deaf and no intellectual, neurological or congenital problems but these children do not do as well as hearing children at all examination test stages (Hendar & O'Neill, 2016) suggesting that the education system may struggle to meet fully the needs of many deaf children.…”

Choosing the Future for a Child with a Severe Hearing‐Impairment

“…This is one reason to apply for special support, even though a child may not have a learning difficulty or developmental challenge (see Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, ). Although inclusive education now seems the preferred choice (Eriks‐Brophy & Whittingham, ), some parents choose segregated settings where they see their child's needs being met (Flaherty, ; Hender & O'Neill, ). In 2010, 0.8 per cent of pupils in regular education were hearing‐impaired, presenting new challenges for preschool and school staff (Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, ; Statistics Finland, ).…”