The Role of Educational Experiences in Enhancing the Cultural Identity of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Undergraduate Female Students in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study explored how educational experiences enhance the cultural identity of deaf and hard-of-hearing undergraduate female students in Saudi Arabia, using an explanatory design. The study methods include a researcher-made scale involving 105 female deaf and hard-of-hearing students, a focus group with 20 female students, and individual interviews with 11 female students. The individually interviewed participants were part of the scale and focus groups. Quantitative results revealed three profiles in terms of cultural identities found in deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Saudi Arabia. In descending order of prevalence these were bicultural identity, hearing identity, and deaf identity. Regarding the qualitative results, four main themes on how educational experiences affected the participants’ cultural identities emerged: educational environment, peer relationships, relationships with teachers, and communication methods. Differences in the participants’ cultural identities were found, based on different educational experiences. Thus, further mixed-methods research should be conducted to address how deaf and hard-of-hearing people perceive their cultural identities, and to discover the enhancing effects of different factors on their identities.