Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students' Experience of Distance Education during COVID-19: Advantages and Barriers

Abstract

This study investigated the deaf and hard-of-hearing students' experience of distance education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during COVID-19 during the 2020 academic year. The authors followed a phenomenological approach, conducting an in-depth interview with 10 female teachers of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Qualitative data revealed four main themes, which show students' experience of distance education. It was found that there is a general satisfaction among teachers in relation to the experience of distance education. Findings also revealed a set of advantages to the distance education experience (i.e., creating fun and increasing motivation, saving time, considering individual differences, and active participation of the students' family. However, there were certain problems that encountered distance education in relation to teachers, students, curriculum, technology, and administration. The findings revealed some suggestions and solutions to tackle the problems of distance education. The study recommended the importance of benefiting from the experience of distance education even after COVID-19. The study recommended to derive some good practices that could improve the learning of deaf and hard of hearing students in the future Keywords: distance education, e-learning, COVID-19, hearing impairment.