Preparedness of Deaf and Hard of Hearing High School Students’ for Undergraduate Education in the Al-Qassim Region of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Even though obtaining a university degree creates significant socioeconomic benefit, student success or attrition in higher education is deeply affected by their preparedness for this level of the educational journey. Hence, this study endeavored to examine the perceptions of deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) Saudi high school students regarding their preparedness and readiness to enroll in undergraduate programs. This study employed a quantitative approach to investigate student preparedness using an electronically-distributed survey to obtain responses from 132 individuals. The study revealed that although overall most D/HH students feel they are prepared to enroll in undergraduate programs, gender and type of hearing loss were found to have significant effect on the respondents’ self-perceptions. The results of this research can provide educators with valuable insight into the preparedness of Saudi D/HH high school students to enroll in universities. This understanding can also shed light on how educators can create accommodations in the curriculum to support this population as they transition to college as well as guide educators and other stakeholders in how to teach and assess Saudi D/HH high school students to prepare them for undergraduate programs to increase retention, and graduation.

Received: 16 November 2021 / Accepted: 24 December 2021 / Published: 5 May 2022