Effects of inclusion on language development in hearing-impaired students in Jeddah schools: Perspectives of teachers and parents

This study aimed to examine the effects of inclusion on the language development of hearing-impaired students (HIS) from the perspectives of parents and teachers. To achieve the objectives of the study, a Language Development Estimation List was designed that consisted of two main dimensions: receptive language (25 items) and expressive language (31 items). A descriptive-comparative research approach was used to examine the differences between the teachers’ and parents’ assessments of students’ language levels according to their educational settings (special schools for deaf students or inclusive schools). This study included a purposive sample of 41 teachers and 113 parents. The teachers’ assessments showed higher receptive language scores and total scores for the inclusive school students. However, the results of the parents’ assessments showed no statistically significant differences between the students at the inclusive school and those at the school for the deaf with respect to expressive or receptive language abilities. That is, the inclusion effect remains less than desired.