A grounded theory study to evaluate the use of community-based technologies to enhance the educational experience for deaf and hard of hearing students in higher education

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using Community-based Technologies (CBT) to enhance the educational experience for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students in higher education. Using a grounded theory approach, the study was built upon the previous theories of Community of Practice and Zone of Proximal Development. Both theories illustrate the importance of interaction on the human performance. For this study, the research questions focused on DHH students' interaction, academic achievement, and overall satisfaction in higher education. Online questionnaire and online interviews were used to conduct the research. The findings support the previous literature that: 1) social interaction whether for academic or personal purposes; online or face-to-face is essential for DHH students; 2) CBT can provide more social interaction to support learning especially for DHH students because they are reliant on text-based technologies; 3) DHH students prefer direct and independent way of communicating with others. These three findings led to generate Ibrahim's theory that shows CBT can be a tool to increase DHH students' interaction with peers, instructors, and the academic content. Therefore, the enhancement of their interaction can positively influence their satisfaction and persistence in higher education. Also, these findings suggest conducting more studies about how to improve DHH students' use of CBT for educational purposes, especially because the data showed that they use it more with peers than with teachers.