Die ervaring van vier adolessente met kogliere inplantings

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Cochlear implantation is a surgical procedure, where an electronic device isimplanted into the inner ear to give people, with severe to profound hearing loss,access to sound and the spoken word. In spite of a wealth of international research,local studies on cochlear implants, and more specifically research concerning theexperience of adolescents with the device, are limited. Adolescence, as adevelopment stage, is also a very difficult phase, which is marked as a crisis periodin the developement process towards maturity, as well as a continuedselfconsciousness and worry about how others perceive them. It may therefore bededuced that the use of the cochlear implants could cause this to be an intenseexperience during this developmental phase and that served as motivation toconduct my research specifically on adolescents.This generic qualitative study had a dual purpose: Firstly it endeavoured, throughexplorative and descriptive research, to determine the experience of adolescentswith cochlear implants in school and also in other social circumstances. Thatsparked off a better understanding and insight, concerning the experience ofadolescents with these devices. Secondly, the purpose of this study was to enquireinto and describe the experience of adolescents with their support systems. This inturn lead to the identification of support systems, but also the lack of such systems inthe personal-, social- and learning environment.An interpretative qualitative study was designed to explain the experience ofadolescents with cochlear implants. The Bronfenbrenner Bioecological Model ofhuman development was used as framework to discuss the complex experience ofadolescents with cochlear implants. The Asset based approach, as well asOutcomes of well-being founded on the principles of Positive Psychology, was alsoused as theoretical and conceptual framework to explain existing assets, supportsystems and management strategies.Four adolescents with cochlear implants and their parents took part in the the study.In-depth data was generated through alternative methods of interviewing, whichwere adjusted according to the unique requirements of each participant as well asthe level of their loss of hearing. Interactive activities, that targeted the interest of participants, were adapted to their language ability and visually interactive were alsoused. Interviews were constantly supported by thorough field notes. Raw data wasthen transcribed and processed by using the constant comparative method.The themes, that were constructed from these, seem to indicate that the experiecesof these adolescents are unique and are influenced by several intrapersonal andexternal factors. The exploration of these factors revealed the following:• Adolescents with cochlear implants sometimes experience social exclusion atschool as well as amongst their friends.• Various obstacles lead up to social exclusion: Firstly, adolescents with cochlearimplants are not able to follow group conversations and backgroundinterference further hampers their limited hearing. Secondly, they experience alack of effort from their peers and teachers to include them in conversations,because the latter have a wrong perception that cochlear implants restore deafpeople's hearing 100%.• Participants often experience powerlessness concerning their deafness and areselfconscious due to the visibility of the cochlear implant.• Scholastic advancement is further hampered by the ignorence of teachers,concerning the needs of learners with cochlear implants, and also due tolanguage impairments caused by their deafness.• Personal strengths, like a positive outlook, assertiveness and perseverance,along with coping strategies, like extreme effort and mediation by parents atschool, for their adolescents with cochlear implants, improve the resilience ofthis group to handle the above mentioned obstacles.• Other children with cochlear implants, the families of participants and schoolare considered to be the primary support systems.Suggestions, concerning the development and improvement of the support systemsof adolescents with cochlear implants, were made on the basis of the data results.Due to the limited range of this study, further research suggestions have been made,that are supported by the knowledge gained in this study about the experience ofadolescents with cochlear implants.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University