Australian Indigenous

Howard D (2006)
Conductive hearing loss and behaviour problems amongst urban Indigenous students.
Unpublished Doctor of Philosophy by Research thesis,
Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, Northern Territory

Indigenous people in Australia experience multiple forms of disadvantage including endemic childhood middle ear disease (otitis media) that is associated with factors such as poor housing and nutrition. The educational consequences of the conductive hearing loss that results from this middle ear disease are poorly understood. This project used an embedded case study, mixed methods research design to consider issues fundamental to the improvement in the educational support for Indigenous students in cross cultural classrooms with conductive hearing loss. The research evaluated a class based game than can be used to identify children with current conductive hearing loss. It also examined how children’s classroom responses that are viewed by teachers as behaviour problems can be related to hearing loss. The research outcomes provide a framework of knowledge that has been used to develop more effective classroom behaviour management strategies that cater for the communicative and educational needs of the many Indigenous children with conductive hearing loss.

Abstract reproduced with the permission of the author