Does a Person-Environment-Fit Promote the Academic Achievement of Hearing-Impaired Students in Malaysian Polytechnics? The Mediating Effects of Satisfaction and Adjustment

(1) This study investigates the influence of a person-environment-fit on academic achievement and examines mediating effects of adjustment and satisfaction on this relationship; (2) Methods: Data were collected from a sample of 195 hearing-impaired students from five polytechnics in Malaysia that offered the Special Skills Certificate program; (3) Results: Results revealed that the two constructs of the person-environment approach: personality-major fit and needs-supplies fit were positively associated with academic achievement. The adjustment was found to mediate this relationship. Taken together, these results signal that the person-environment constructs contribute to the academic achievement of hearing-impaired students and that adjustment is instrumental in elucidating this relationship; (4) Conclusions: The finding adds to the data, indicating that the person-environment-fit is a possible model of inclusion for hearing-impaired students and also provides initial data about the functioning of hearing-impaired students in Malaysian polytechnics.

Teacher Perspectives on the Impact of the Cyber Press on the Development of Religious Knowledge among Hearing-Impaired Students

The electronic press has constituted a real civilized renaissance in the field of media, and the younger generation has benefited from it. This will make it the first medium during the coming period to become a new media system that enjoys the characteristics and advantages acquired from the traditional press, of which the electronic press is an extension, and those from the new method. The study identifies the impacts of the cyber press on the development of religious knowledge among hearing-impaired students from their teachers’ point of view. Hearing-impaired students need more attention to develop their religious knowledge through the electronic press, as hearing impairment has many adverse effects on their learning. It affects their ability to move freely and interact with the environment. In addition, it affects their skills in interacting with others and their insecurity and confidence, resulting in an isolated social life. We used means, standard deviations, and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to identify the impact of the cyber press on the development of religious knowledge among hearing-impaired students. The study sample consisted of 80 teachers who teach hearing-impaired students. A questionnaire about teachers’ perspectives on the impacts of the cyber press on the development of religious knowledge among hearing-impaired students was used to collect data after checking the validity and reliability indicators. Results show that the impact of the cyber press on the development of religious knowledge is moderate. The results also show statistically significant differences in the gender variable in favor of males, and in the years of experience variable in favor of 10 years and more. Results also show statistically significant differences attributable to the impact of academic qualification in favor of the postgraduate category. We recommend that the cyber press pay more attention to religious education for hearing-impaired students through a broader and deeper presentation of contemporary religious issues.

Measuring Satisfaction on Augmented Reality Courseware for Hearing-Impaired Students: Adjustment Formula form SUS

Satisfaction is an important usability attribute in developing a courseware which involves end users. Measuring satisfaction among hearing-impaired students is different than measuring it among common students because they learn using sign language and have different learning styles. An educational courseware for hearing-impaired students is employed to measure this. The courseware uses the Augmented Reality technology and it is called PekAR-Mikroorganisma. Hence, this article focuses on the methodology of measuring and the attributes that contribute to users’ satisfaction. An adaptation of the System Usability Scale was used to identify the satisfaction value. Fifteen hearing-impaired students were employed as a case study. Findings show that the satisfaction level in using PekAR Mikroorganisma is high. It is hoped PekAR-Mikroorganisma can help the hearing-impaired to understand lessons better through the enhancement of their comprehension on abstract concepts. Keywords: Augmented Reality, Hearing-Impaired, Usability Testing, Visual Informatics

Exploring the Potential Usage of Mobile Technologies Among the Hearing-Impaired Students in Learning English as a Second Language (ESL)

<p>With the emergence of mobile technologies in education, the special needs students are gaining the infinite benefits that could enhance their learning sessions. Numerous studies are conducted on the usage of mobile technologies among the special needs students including their acceptance towards the technologies, its advantages as well as the obstacles on the utilisation of mobile technologies. However, fewer studies are done on the usage of mobile technologies among the hearing-impaired (HI) students. There is a need for more studies on that as the number of hearing-impaired people are increasing continuously around the globe. Hence, the aims of the study are to explore the hearing-impaired students’ perspectives on the usa of mobile technologies in learning ESL. In-depth interviews are conducted among the selected ten hearing-impaired students from four different secondary schools in Malaysia and the notable finding demonstrates the majority of them believed that mobile technologies assist them in learning. This study provides the insights for the education stakeholders, especially the policy makers and inventors to create the solutions and improvise the features of mobile technologies that are more user-friendly towards the hearing-impaired students.</p>

Vision screening among hearing-impaired school children in Biratnagar, Nepal

Background: The prevalence of hearing impairment in Nepal is 16.5%, affecting approximately 2.71 million people. Deaf children are visually dependent, and even a mild refractive error may cause visual discomfort. The goal of this study was to determine the need for vision screenings in schools for the hearing impaired in Biratnagar, Nepal. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with permission from Birat Deaf Secondary School, Biratnagar, Nepal. A total of 130 hearing-impaired students were examined. Non-invasive, comprehensive optometric examinations were performed to detect visual disorders. When a more detailed evaluation was needed, the students were referred to the Pediatric Ophthalmology Department, Biratnagar Eye Hospital Biratnagar, Nepal. Results: Of the 130 hearing-impaired students, 58 (44.6%) were male and 72 (55.4%) were female. The mean ± standard deviation of age was 16.03 ± 3.8 years (range 6–25 years). Twenty-one (16.1%) students had refractive errors: 13 (10%) had myopia, 7 (5.4%) had hyperopia, and 1 (0.8%) had anisometropia. In the cover test, 88 (67.7%) had orthophoria, 19 (14.6%) had exophoria, 11 (8.5%) had esophoria, 5 (3.85%) had exotropia, and 3 (2.3%) had esotropia. Cover tests were not performed in 4 (3.1%) students, as they were unable to fixate due to nystagmus or decreased vision. On ocular examination, 20 (15.3%) students had anterior segment abnormalities, including lid abnormality, conjunctivitis, Bitot’s spots, pterygium, corneal opacity, and lenticular opacity. Posterior segment or retinal abnormalities were found in four students with one having Usher syndrome. Color vision defects, nystagmus, and amblyopia were found in 8 (6.1%), 2 (1.5 %), and 1 (0.8%), respectively. Conclusions: The findings of the present study reflect the need of periodic vision screenings in schools for the hearing impaired in Nepal. These children are at a high risk of vision impairment. How to cite this article: Sah SK, Thakur R, Adhikari PR. Vision screening among hearing-impaired school children in Biratnagar, Nepal. Med Hypothesis Discov Innov Optom. 2021 Spring; 2(1): 36-40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.51329/mehdioptometry123