The Experiences of Itinerant Teachers of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Promoting Self-Determination Skills Among K-12 Students With Hearing Loss: A Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of promoting self-determination skills in students with hearing loss to address their listening and learning challenges for itinerant teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing at K-12 public schools in the United States. The theory guiding this study was Ryan and Deci’s self-determination theory through the lens of teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing promoting competency, autonomy, and relatedness skills in relation to self-determination for addressing challenges among students with hearing loss. The study's central research question was: What are the experiences of itinerant teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing promoting self-determination skills to address communication skills among students with hearing loss? A qualitative design of hermeneutic phenomenology was implemented to provide the researcher of this study with a unique opportunity to understand and describe the experiences of the participants in relation to the study’s problem. Participants in this study were itinerant teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing with at least three years of teaching experience and one year teaching self-determination skills in K-12 public school settings serving students with hearing loss utilizing an expanded core curriculum that focuses on competency, autonomy, and relatedness. The data sources were individual interviews, journal prompts, and a focus group with the participants. Using van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenology approach, data were organized and analyzed into themes utilizing Saldaña’s coding process. Major themes of the study highlighted the powerful role of self-determination in helping students understand their hearing loss, make informed decisions, and build stronger connections with others.