Best Practices of the Regular Teachers Handling Students with Hearing Impairments

Teachers serving students with hearing impairments employ specific strategies that profoundly impact their educational outcomes. By integrating these practices, they create an inclusive learning environment that accommodates the unique challenges faced by hearing-impaired students. Research shows that when implemented effectively, these specialized approaches can significantly enhance these learners' academic performance and social development. Hence, this study aimed to identify the best practices employed by regular teachers handling students with hearing impairments. A qualitative, phenomenological approach was utilized to describe these practices. Purposive sampling was employed to select 11 regular teachers from a public elementary school in the Digos City Division during the 2023-2024 school year. Data were analyzed using Creswell's Thematic Analysis. The findings revealed several best practices: strategic physical seating arrangements, peer tutoring, fostering a warm environment, collaboration with parents and special education teachers, printed and learning materials, and visual communication. Also, regular teachers emphasized the importance of being patient and considerate, integrating life skills, increasing teacher training in sign language, and providing appropriate technology. These results imply that regular teachers effectively employ practices that enhance hearing-impaired learners' performance and educational experience, helping them succeed and complete their elementary education. Therefore, schools should implement a comprehensive approach that includes specialized teacher training, inclusive curriculum design, and strong collaboration among administrators, teachers, specialists, and parents to create supportive learning environments for hearing-impaired students. Regular assessment of these practices alongside continued research will help identify gaps and develop evidence-based interventions.