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.