Profiling the deaf high school student who is a problem in the classroom

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Special Education
• Audiology

Background:

• Discipline referrals are common in educational settings.
• Understanding factors influencing referrals is crucial for targeted interventions.
• Residential schools for the deaf present unique challenges and student populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify student characteristics predicting discipline referral frequency.
• To develop and test a conceptual model of referral predictors.
• To understand the relationship between student attributes and behavioral issues in deaf students.

Main Methods:

• Surveyed discipline referral forms and school records from five residential schools for the deaf.
• Categorized students into never, periodically, and chronically referred groups.
• Utilized log-linear analysis to predict referral category membership based on student characteristics.

Main Results:

• Reading ability was the most significant predictor of referral frequency.
• Degree of hearing loss, age, and sex also predicted referral categories.
• A conceptual model indicated reading ability as the primary factor, followed by hearing loss, age, and sex.

Conclusions:

• Reading ability is a critical factor in discipline referrals for deaf students.
• Students with poorer reading skills and less severe hearing loss are more prone to referrals.
• Interventions should consider academic and audiological factors to address behavioral issues.