A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. December 2017. / Unilateral hearing loss (UHL), commonly known as 'single-sided deafness,' constitutes an ignored and under-researched population group. The limited existing research has established that persons with UHL tend to experience challenges in various social, emotional, language and academic areas, and thus persons with UHL experience more problems than previously realised. This study aims to address this gap by exploring the socio-emotional experiences of three persons with UHL. In addition, the researcher’s personal narrative as a person with UHL is included to provide another perspective. The participants were interviewed which provided narratives The theoretical framework of Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological model (1977-2009) and Vygotsky's (1962-1998) theories of language were used to interpret the influence of a child's surrounding social and cultural environments, and their interactions. The narrative data were analysed and interpreted using coding and categorising processes. Findings from the personal narratives revealed themes of anger, isolation, frustration as well as, indicated that children with UHL require assistance regarding disclosing their hearing loss. Additionally, topics such as ‘teasing’, ‘disturbing experiences during hearing loss diagnosis’ and ‘feelings of loneliness’ were also revealed. This study established that a child's surrounding social and cultural environments play a significant role in shaping their attitudes and perceptions of their unilateral hearing loss, and not all of the participants experienced disabling social challenges. Those who have intervention opportunities such as counselling, develop more effective communication and coping skills required for persons with UHL. In addition, links between interventions and coping skills were also revealed. Recommendations for future research include investigating the links between a child with UHL, intervention and coping skills, with a particular focus on their quality of life experiences. Significantly, there is a need for intervention programmes that address the social and emotional needs of children with UHL on an individual basis. Keywords Unilateral hearing loss; hearing related quality of life; Coping skills; Expressive Language; Stories; Autoethnography; Narrative Inquiry. / LG2018

South Africa has a dearth of deaf appropriate assistive resources – giving rise to deaf adolescents leaving school early and poor adult outcomes. These factors are negatively influenced by the interaction of other elements such as the inadequate cultural and social nurturing and lack of support. Approached from a bio-ecological model, to pro-actively address the support needed by deaf and hard-of-hearing persons to empower them to develop the capacity to withstand the challenges they have to endure, to stand up to and resist the negative ideas about what they are capable of. In this study, major risk factors were identified as communication deprivation and unpreparedness of parents to raise a deaf child appropriately where mediating factors were identified as social-emotional competence and deaf teaching assistants at South African Schools for the Deaf. The main findings of this study were that the need for early training of parents, access to Sign Language, deaf role models and social-emotional training in SA schools for the Deaf are proposed pathways to well-being. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

The aim of this action research was to investigate how auditory perceptual deficits affect reading in learners with disabilities. The sub-questions were: What auditory perceptual deficits learners’ experience? How do educators assist learners with auditory perceptual deficits? What instructional strategies and classroom management can educators apply to assist learners with auditory perceptual skills? The data collections comprised of an informal oral assessment, observation and anecdotal notes with fifteen participants with barriers to learning, from the English first year class, within a special needs educational setting. Data analysis and validity were supported by triangulation through informal assessment, observation, my critical friend and my own critical reflection. The support of phonologic, memory, and cohesion skills, auditory skills were the reading educational construct and strategies used as intervention in order to identify the efficacy of said interventions. Both bottom-up and top-down support strategies were used in relation to the participants’ individualised educational needs. The research results and discussion included methods to improve reading and listening skills in the classroom environment. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)