A Study of Self-Concept of Hearing-Impaired Students as Compared to the Self-Concept of Normal-Hearing Students

<p>Problem</p> <p>One of the important problems for the handicapped child is whether he can develop an adequate self-concept. This is a significant problem for the hearing-impaired child in a regular school setting. If the development of self-concept is contingent upon the ability to express needs, wants, and desires, what is the self-concept of a child who cannot describe his feelings? The present study attempts to measure the self-concepts of the hearing-impaired students and to compare them to the self-concepts of the hearing students.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>The Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale was used to evaluate the self-concepts of 926 students of the Berrien County Day Program for Hearing-Impaired and the Berrien Springs Public Schools. Sixty-nine hearing-impaired and 857 hearing students in grades six through twelve were tested. A t-test was used to compare the means of the hearing-impaired and the hearing for each grade, the middle school, and the high school.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were no significant differences (p < .05) between the self-concept means for the hearing-impaired and the hearing students. Also, there were no significant differences (p < .05) between the national norm as established by the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale and the means for the hearing-impaired and the hearing students.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The hearing and the hearing-impaired students have self-concepts that are not significantly different. These means are also not significantly different from the national norm as established by the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. The eighth- and ninth-grade hearing students tend to have a higher self-concept with regard to happiness and satisfaction. The eighth- and ninth-grade hearing-impaired students tend to have a higher self-concept with regard to happiness and satisfaction and physical appearance and attitude than the high school hearing-impaired students do. The hearing students and the hearing-impaired students have many self-concept factors that are very similar. The range of the self-concept scores for each group of hearing-impaired and hearing students is similar.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Counseling Psychology, Ph.D.

Year

1981

Author dc:creator

• Wright, Wayne K

Contributors dc:contributor

• Mercedes H. Dyer
• Lyndon G. Furst
• Peter Blitchington

• Hearing-Impaired
• Self-Concept
• Students
• Psychology
• School Psychology
• Speech Pathology and Audiology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/1564

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.andrews.edu:dissertations-2563