Social capital and adolescents who are deaf: Associations with wellbeing, school connectedness, and pragmatics

ABSTRACT

This paper explores the associations between different types of social capital and other measures including wellbeing, school connectedness, and pragmatic language. Seventeen adolescents who were deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) from Australia and the United Kingdom completed an online survey and their results were analysed to answer research questions relating to: social capital formation in adolescents who are DHH; associations between social capital, wellbeing, pragmatics, and school connectedness; and the role of identity in social capital formation. Statistical analyses were completed to determine: bivariate correlations between variables; significant differences between the types of social capital measured; and significant differences in social capital according to identity group. Results indicate that overall, adolescents had higher Offline social capital compared to Online social capital, and higher Family social capital in comparison to Peer and Institutional social capital. Additionally, all social capital except Online social capital had strong associations with wellbeing and school connectedness measures. Students who identified as deaf had statistically significant lower levels of social capital than those who identified as hard of hearing or hearing impaired, and bicultural; however, this result may be due to the composition of this small sample. This study indicates that social capital is associated with higher levels of wellbeing and school connectedness and demonstrates that school experiences play an important role in the formation of social capital for students who are DHH.

KEYWORDS:

• Social capital
• adolescents
• deaf
• hard of hearing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Timothy J. Byatt

Timothy J. Byatt is a teacher of the deaf and sessional academic with an interest in social issues and deafness.

Kerry Dally

Kerry Dally is a senior lecturer with an interest in adolescent health and wellbeing.

Jill Duncan

Jill Duncan is an academic and government adviser. She has an interest in young people who are deaf or hard of hearing and, more broadly, inclusive education.