Supporting the Social–Emotional Well-Being of Elementary School Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Purpose: Children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH), their parents, Teachers of the Deaf, and other community stakeholders were involved in co-designing a web-based resource to support students' social–emotional well-being. The resource was designed to provide families and teachers with strategies to enhance the social and emotional well-being of Grade 4–6 students who are DHH. This study reports outcomes of a pilot study of the web-based resource intervention. Method: A pre–post pilot study was conducted to quantitatively examine reported anxiety, well-being, social relationships, school experience, student–teacher relationship, and parent and teacher self-efficacy. A total of 37 students, their parents ( n = 37), and their classroom teachers ( n = 40) participated in the intervention program and were provided access to the resource. Results: In total, 19 students, 22 parents, and 17 teachers completed both pre- and postsurvey measures. Paired t tests revealed that there was a statistically significant increase in parents' self-efficacy scores from pre- to posttest. Multivariate analysis of covariance revealed a significant association between parent use of the website and student-reported improved peer support and reduced school loneliness. No other statistically significant differences were found. Conclusions: The use of a web-based resource codeveloped with students who are DHH, their parents, and teachers could potentially be beneficial for the well-being of students who are DHH as well as parents' self-efficacy. Further research is needed to confirm the benefits.

Friendly schools’ bullying prevention research: Implications for school counsellors

“…These principles and input from school staff, families and students informed the research questions, content and approach of a series of randomised control intervention trials in primary schools and secondary schools (Cross et al, 2011; Cross et al, 2019; Cross et al, 2012). Findings from these studies and consumers informed the adaption of these resources to respond to specific higher bullying risk contexts, including cyberbullying (Cross et al, 2015); critical periods of change, such as the transition from primary school to secondary school (Cross, Shaw et al, 2018); and more specialised support for students frequently involved in bullying behaviour (e.g., Cross, Runions et al, 2018; Pennell et al, 2020) and who require more culturally or contextually co-designed interventions, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (Coffin et al, 2010), and students who face chronic physical health conditions, such as deafness or hard of hearing (Kishida et al, 2021).…”