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Suggested Citation:"School Influences." National Research Council. 1946. Learning to Use Hearing Aids: A Study of Factors Influencing the Decision of Children to Wear Hearing Aids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21371.
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Page 50
Suggested Citation:"School Influences." National Research Council. 1946. Learning to Use Hearing Aids: A Study of Factors Influencing the Decision of Children to Wear Hearing Aids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21371.
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Page 51
Suggested Citation:"School Influences." National Research Council. 1946. Learning to Use Hearing Aids: A Study of Factors Influencing the Decision of Children to Wear Hearing Aids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21371.
×
Page 52
Suggested Citation:"School Influences." National Research Council. 1946. Learning to Use Hearing Aids: A Study of Factors Influencing the Decision of Children to Wear Hearing Aids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21371.
×
Page 53
Suggested Citation:"School Influences." National Research Council. 1946. Learning to Use Hearing Aids: A Study of Factors Influencing the Decision of Children to Wear Hearing Aids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21371.
×
Page 54
Suggested Citation:"School Influences." National Research Council. 1946. Learning to Use Hearing Aids: A Study of Factors Influencing the Decision of Children to Wear Hearing Aids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21371.
×
Page 55
Suggested Citation:"School Influences." National Research Council. 1946. Learning to Use Hearing Aids: A Study of Factors Influencing the Decision of Children to Wear Hearing Aids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21371.
×
Page 56
Suggested Citation:"School Influences." National Research Council. 1946. Learning to Use Hearing Aids: A Study of Factors Influencing the Decision of Children to Wear Hearing Aids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21371.
×
Page 57
Suggested Citation:"School Influences." National Research Council. 1946. Learning to Use Hearing Aids: A Study of Factors Influencing the Decision of Children to Wear Hearing Aids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21371.
×
Page 58

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SCHOOL INFLUENCES 51 their school achievement. About 6 5 per cent of this group had no record of failures. Only three children, however, were perform­ ing near the top of their class. The rest of them were average or below average. On the other hand, 5 5 per cent of the no-aid group were r�tarded from one to four years. Of this number, two had left school when they . had reached the maximum age requiring school attendance, even though one had not yet graduated from high school and the other had not yet finished elementary school. It must be pointed out that the parents of those who were wearing aids all felt that their children were doing much better work now than they had done prior to use of the aid. Seven parents had had to employ private tutors in order to have the children keep up with the rest of their classmates. Some parents had found it necessary constantly to help the children with homework. The daily lessons were reviewed at home and extra assistance was given these children in preparation for their examinations. The subject most frequently mentioned as being difficult was arithmetic. Arithmetic typically involves large amounts of oral work. Spelling and English were also mentioned as giving the chil­ dren much trouble. The chief problem in spelling was that the children could not understand the words dictated by the teacher. Many of them had failed in this subject because they had written the wrong word rather than mispelled the word. Their best sub­ jects were reading and geography. The children preferred and did their best work in those subjects that made fewest demands on hearing ability. They liked to write compositions which gave them an opportunity for self-expression and they liked also those subjects that involved handwork of some kind. As an indication of these preferences, the majority had chosen to attend vocational high schools and were taking commercial or machine-shop courses. One girl was studying homemaking and two boys were preparing to enter technical colleges. Two of the children were attending a high school of industrial art. The specific subjects that proved stumbling blocks to them were foreign languages and shorthand. Those who had attempted to cope with these subjects, which de­ pend largely on auditory acuity, had failed and had been forced to drop them. The girls showed aptitude for typing and clerical tasks while the boys excelled in machine-shop studies and aviation trades.

52 LEARNING TO USE HEARING AIDS Al though the boys realized they could never be p ilots , they were fairly skillful in airplane mechanics. The children wearing aids va�ied in the use they made of them in . the school situation. They always wore them in classes where there was a m aximum amount of oral recitation. Three of them said they turned them off when they wanted to concentrate-for example, during examinations and during study periods. Some of them turned them off when classes were changing because the noise in the halls bothered them. Approximately 5 0 per cent of this group found the aids a burden during gymnasium classes. Instead of re­ . moving the aids, they preferred to be excused from class. Only two children were able to wear their aids while attending gymnasium. The rest took them off or did not take gymnastics The boys pre­ • . ferred to take off their instruments or to turn them off during shop work. Several of the teachers remarked that they considered it dangerous for the boys to wear aids in those classes that required the use of movable machinery. The aid wearing group always wore their instruments to as­ sembly. For too long they had been deprived of an opportunity to enjoy assembly programs. All of them said they felt that they had missed so much during the auditorium periods that once they had received their aids they were eager to learn what they had been missing all that time. Six of the children who had been reluct�nt to wear aids in junior high school found that they could not meet the competition in senior high school unless they wore their instruments. One boy especially had always done good work in elementary school and had graduated with honors. His first three months in a technical high school were a series of repeated failures. His need to keep up with the rest of his group became so great that he asked his mother to have his aid repaired. She had had much difficulty with him up to this time and was amazed that he wanted to use his aid. As soon as ' he began to wear it again, his school marks improved and he was able to ass1,1me the position in his class in high school that he had held in elemen ta ry school. Those children who were already in high school at the time they received their aids said that their per iod of adj ustment might have been less formidable if they had begun wearing them much earlier.

SCHOOL I N F LU E N C E S The critical period so far as can be determined appears to be at the beginning of junior high school. Only one parent suggested that his child might have been better off if he had begun to wear his aid at approximately six years of age. In spite of the fact that early schooling had been difficult for these children, the parents were not of the opinion that earlier use of an aid would have helped. They felt that the adjustments before junior high school could be made without a hearing aid. Once a child entered junior high school, however, the auditory demands of the classroom situation became too great for the hard-of-hearing child to cope with un­ aided. In adjusting to the wearing of an aid the child is acutely con­ scious of the reactions of those around him. The children felt that their comrades in junior high school quickly overcame their initial curiosity. After the first flurry of interest the children showed at the strange sight of a hearing aid on one of their group, they quickly accepted it and then forgot all about it. Generally, the children reported that their classmates paid little attention to them after the first week or two. Their self-consciousness at wearing their instruments in so public a situation as a school classroom was largely their own reaction and was not caused by either the com­ ments or the behavior of the other children. In fact, several of them said that their classmates showed them even greater considera­ tion and kindness than before. Two reported that the · teachers spoke to them in a louder tone of voice and gave them speC ial in ­ struction. The aid wearing group profited from this attention and felt that they were able to get along much better, not only because of their aid but because of the fact that their disability was no longer concealed. So far as the attitude of the children in high school was con- , cerned, apparently no one paid any attention to the aid wearers. One boy said that in order to satisfy his own curiosity as to the reactions of other boys toward his wearing a hearing aid, he used to walk through the halls and watch their faces when he came close to them. He added that he always felt a little ridiculous at his own behavior because no one seemed to notice him or his aid. Only one child felt that he had been prevented from wearing an aid because of the curiosity of other children.

54 LEARNING TO USE HEARING AIDS The majority of the children were attending New York City high schools. A few of them were still in elementary school and two of them were in high schools in Jersey City. The administra­ tors and teachers in these schools gave valuable assistance in .this study. Even though these schools for the most part had several thousand children in attendance, the majority of the school authori­ ties knew these particular children well. Too much emphasis can­ not be placed on the intelligent guidance and sympathetic attitude of the school officials. They knew the handicapped children, had carefully followed their .progress, and had made real effort to help them adjust to a difficult school situation. Eighty per cent of the guidance counselors and principals knew that the children in this investigation wore hearing aids. Their records showed this fact, and careful follow-up of these youngsters had been carried out. Not all the teachers, however, knew of the hearing losses. Some administrators felt that there was no advantage in informing the teachers about the physical disabilities of the children. Other ad­ ministrators made a point of telling all the teachers of each handi­ capped child the specific nature of the child's disability so that they could watch carefully and help the child overcome any diffi­ culties he might encounter in the classroom. Only 20 . per cent of the schools had no record that the child was hard of hearing or that he wore an aid. The administrators and the guidance counselors in the schools had given special attention to these children in planning their pro­ grams. No child wearing a hearing aid had been encouraged to take any courses that would be too difficult for him ; for example, aid wearers were discouraged from taking foreign languages or stenography. Some teachers in their desire to be helpful and to encourage the • child in his wearing of the hearing aid used methods that made the child feel even more conspicuous than before. One teacher asked a boy to go to the front of the room and explain to the class the mechanics of his aid. The boy said he refused to accede to her re­ quest and that he ignored her. He resented her obvious interest in him and her desire to be helpful. Three children felt that they had been influenced to wear their aids more extensively because they had been assigned to aid-wearing teachers. A number of teachers

SCHOOL INFLUENCES 55 asked the children about the aids when the other children were not in the room. In this way, they were assured of a friendly interest ' on the part of the teacher but were not subjected to any discomfort or embarrassment. Several teachers told the worker that they had admonished the children in the classroom not to make the aid wearing child feel self-conscious by asking questions or by referring to it in any way. This device apparently had far greater effectiveness in relieving the aid wearing subject of feelings of embarrassment than any other method that had been used. One principal reported that at the be­ ginning of the year she held an assembly during which she explained the necessity of kindness and consideration on the part of all the • children in her school for any classmate suffering from some disabil­ ity. She also said that she encouraged the children in her school who · had physical disabilities by calling on them for special errands and tasks. This increased their esteem and prestige in the eyes of the other children and helped the handicapped to develop feelings of . adequacy and self-reliance. Three teachers who were interviewed reported that they found the intense concentration of hard-of­ hearing children who were dependent on lip reading extremely dis­ concerting. They encouraged the children to wear their aids be­ cause they themselves felt uncomfortable at the child's continual watching of their lips. The aid wearers to some degree were motivated to wear their in­ struments in school in order to appear less conspicuous. The chil­ dren had become accustomed to taking seats in the front of the room at the request of either their parents or themselves. They had, however, grown tired of sitting in a conspicuous position and welcomed their opportunity to move to the back of the room once they began wearing aids. The seat in the classroom may not be of particular importance to the normal-hearing chil d ; but the fact that a handicapped child has had to sit close to the teacher or in a position that made him feel removed from the rest of his class­ mates assumes great importance in personality development. He feels detached from the rest not only in his failure to observe what is going on behind him but in his feeling that he may be missing some of the work and fun. Many such children said

56 LEARNING TO U SE HEARING AIDS that they were eager to wear aids in order to be able to sit at the back of the room in comfort and ease. Two of the children used their aids as attention-getting devices. They brought them to school, played with them, and tried to dis­ tract other children by putting them on and off. Both wore the aid but kept it turned off. Both were discipline problems and one was finally asked to leave school. The need for participation in school activities may also be con­ sidered as a motivating force in inducing these children to wear their aids. Generally, they had been reluctant to participate in class recitations. About 60 per cent took a much more active part in recitations once they began to wear their instruments. One . girl had been able to take part in the school play. She wore her aid deftly concealed by her h �ir and had been complimented on her skillful performance. On the other hand, a boy who showed' keen delight in dramatics gave up his part in the school play rather than wear his aid in public. A good example of a boy who made maximum use of his aid in the school situation is that of Carl. The Case of Carl Carl is an alert, well-adjusted boy who has made great effort to over­ come his hearing disability. He wears his hearing aid at all times and thinks "it is wonderful." He said he did not know how he got along be­ fore as now he finds it indispensable. He is much better able to hear his teachers and he is not as nervous as he used to be. He doesn't have to strain to hear and this has helped "my general irritability and nervousness." His superior intelligence has prevented him from failing in school but he always had to exert supreme effort in order to maintain the standards which he set up for himself. According to his description of his school progress, he has always gotten along well but "I do not know why that is so." At the request of his mother, his teachers allowed him to sit in the front of the room. He had many school friends who never seemed to mind the fact that he had difficulty in understanding them. Carl said that he did not cultivate the few children who became impatient with him when he asked them to repeat. His favorite s�hool subjects were mathema tics and English grammar. In answer to a question as to whether he got along in school as well as children with normal hearing, he said that he got along ;tlmost as well but "my marks were not at the top although there were not many in the class that got marks better than I did." He could never hear an assembly program and had to rely on his friends to keep him informed as to what was going on. He was particularly annoyed

SCHOOL INFLUENCES 57 when he could not hear everything. His alert attitude and keen aware­ nes� of his surroundings made him discontented and unhappy if he thought he was missing something. At first he was quite unhappy over wearing a hearing aid but he said that he would make it do. "Although I did not want anything sticking out of my ear which would attract attention to me, I thought it was bet­ ter to wear it than to ask people for special favors." For the first time he was able to enjoy the assembly exercises. He had expected the aid to help him in school particularly and "it certainly did that." He remembered that he was so self-conscious when he first put it on that it seemed as if everyone were looking at him. His high school specializes in training boys for entrance into engineer­ ing colleges. They are a selected group and are required to pass a difficult admission examination. He ascribed the lack of curiosity on the part of the boys in his school to the fact that they were older and more mature than most and therefore understood things like wearing a hearing aid much better than would younger children. In grammar school the chil­ dren used to ask why he had to wear it. He showed them how i t worked and often even let some of them listen to it. He was so self-conscious when he first put it on that he wore earmuffs in the wintertime so that no one could notice it but now he feels much too grown up for this type of con­ cealment and has no qualms about wearing his aid on the street. His work has improved in every subject. His desire to keep up his scholastic record overcomes any self-consciousness and any dislike that he previously had for his instrument. He continually volunteers in class and stands up to recite with no attempt to conceal his aid. His mother said that he used to have difficulty in junior high school, where the work is departmental­ ized. He found that he could not easily understand the different voices but after a time he became accustomed to them. He told his mother a short time after he got his aid that he had always been tense in school but now he could sit back and relax. For the first time he was able to concentrate on his school work. ' He graduated from junior high school at the head of his class and took several prizes. His mother thinks that he could not have done as well as this if he had not had his aid during this period. Now in high school, he is able to work more rapidly than ever be.fore and school is a greater challenge to him. He still is doing honor work. According to his mother, "He loves his aid. He pats it lovingly every night before putting it away as i f it were a cherished friend ... In an interview, Carl's guidance counselor revealed that he has superi­ or grades in English and history and high marks in technical skills. There was nothing on his school record to indicate that Carl is hard of hearing or that he wore a hearing aid. Carl's woodworking teacher was eager to discuss his progress. He stated that Carl was independent and had a pleas-

58 LEARNING TO USE HEARING AIDS ant personality. He had observed at the boy's first entrance into his class that he wore an aid but this in no way set him apart from the other l;x>ys in his group. He is admired and liked by all of them and takes part in all group activities. His work in class is above average, and on an examination in which the questions were given orally to the students Carl received a mark of 1 0 0 per cent. The worker observed him during a class period. The boys were busily engaged in group projects and he was discussing his project with one of his classmates with much in�erest and enthusiasm. His teacher stated that at the beginning of the term he had asked the children if there was any one who could not see or hear well, in order that he might seat the boys to best advantage. Carl raised his hand and volunteered the information that he could not hear very well but showed no undue concern over it. Although he is aware of his superior abilities and outstanding record as a student, Carl has never given any evidence of conceit or arrogance. The other boys in the class show no curiosity about his aid and treat him as a member of the group. Even though his group is intellectually superior, Carl has always remained close to the top. His mathematics teacher reported, "He is a nice boy and gives no trouble. One would not even know that he is hard of hearing. He takes part in class recitations, answers questions, volunteers, and has never required any spe­ cial instruction or attention. " The instructor felt that Carl need not be singled out for special attention even in a class as large as his. It has never been necessary to make any special provision for him because he is able to hold his own with the rest of the group. His teacher described him as a normal, extremely intelligent, well-adjusted boy. He plans to be an electrical engineer and is preparing to enter college. In summary, the aid wearing group had a better academic record than those who discontinued use of the aid and a marked improve­ ment was apparent during the time they had used the aids. Diffi­ culties in using the aid in certain school activities such as gym­ nasium and shopwork were apparent. The aids oare more indispen­ sable in junior high school than in lower grades, and in certain ac­ tivities, such as foreign language work or auditorium activities, than in others in which more reading and less oral work is involved. Apparently other school children respond sensibly and helpfully to the child wearing a hearing aid. The teacher and other school offi­ cers do much to make the use of the hearing aid profitable and so­ cially acceptable. Several illustrations of good and poor teacher management were offered.

VOCATIONAL INTERESTS 59 VIII. Vocational I nterests and Plans Most adolescents are profoundly interested in the matter of vo­ cational choice. For this reason, the interests of the aid wearers and the no-aid group were studied with respect to vocational aspiration, work experience, plans for further academic training, ideals and ambitions, and special abilities. The group we�ring aids show more perspicacity and foresight in choice of vocations. They have definite plans for the future and are going through a period of training which will equip them for the vocations they have chosen. Sixty-four per cent of the aid wearing girls hope to do some sort of office work. With one ex­ ception, they are now taking courses in preparation for their chosen work ; the one exception plans to further her training by attending business college after graduation from high school in order to get technical training in the operation of standard business machines. The majority of the girls expect to get positions as file clerks or typists. One plans to go to college to study accountancy. Other - vocations mentioned were those of ballet dancer, teacher of the deaf, and interpreter. Two of the girls had no specific vocational plans but expected to continue their academic education. The aid wearing boys show a greater variety in vocational choice. The majority have taken into consideration their hearing handicap and the fact that they would have to wear aids in their future ca­ reers. Thirty-six per cent chose some mechanical trade. Two boys hope to be physicians. Other occupations mentioned are those of aviation pilot, artist, naturalist, chemical engineer, architect, dental mechanic, and engineer. Thirty-six per cent are alrea,dy taking courses in high school to prepare themselves for their chosen vo­ cations. Twenty per cent of the aid wearers have had some work experi­ ence. One girl had worked for a brief time as a file clerk, while another works after school as a store clerk. One boy works for his father as a delivery boy, another has had several jobs, including

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