Parents’ Support of the Educational and Language Development of Children with Hearing Impairment (HI) in Eswatini

Abstract

Parental involvement in supporting the educational and language development of children with hearing impairment (HI) in most African countries remains unknown. This is despite the acknowledgement of the influence of families on children’s achievement. This study therefore, sought to explore the involvement of parents in supporting the educational and language development of children with HI. A multi-case study research design was used in order to compare and contrast findings from two special schools. Two interview guides which were generated by the authors based on literature review were used to collect data through semi-structured interviews from twelve purposively sampled parents and through Focus Group discussions (FGDs) with thirteen purposively sampled teachers. Braun and Clarke’s six steps of thematic analysis were used to analyse the data. The findings indicate that parents of children with HI in Eswatini outsource their responsibility to support the educational and language development of children with HI to teachers in special schools. This is partly because most parents are unable to use sign language to communicate with their children with HI. There are also perceptions of apparent parental disinterest in educational support for children with HI due to several barriers. In conclusion, the study recommends that schools for children with HI should arrange sign language workshops for parents in order to encourage support in the educational and language development of children with HI.