published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The thesis "Communication Competence of Cochlear Implant Users and Their School Placement" deals with cochlear implants problematic and communication competence of preschool aged children with cochlear implants. The thesis focuses on communication skills and school placement of children with cochlear implants. The thesis is divided into two main parts, theoretical and empirical. The theoretical part deals with the application of cochlear implant and the rehabilitation process before and after intervention. It further focuses on the communication competence and the education of implant users. The empirical part includes ten specific cases of children with cochlear implants. Apply one's mind to their language abilities such as vocabulary, understanding and grammar. The empirical part shows that cochlear implant is beneficial to the language abilities. The large part of the studied children became equal to their intact contemporaries. KEYWORDS cochlear implant, communication competence, preschool age, school placement, education, hearing impairment

Varje år byter ett antal elever som är döva eller har hörselnedsättning (D/HN) skolform under pågående grundskoleutbildning. Det har inte funnits en samlad bild av varför bytet sker och hur eleverna upplever omställningen. Vi har i denna studie genomfört semistrukturerade intervjuer med nio högstadieelever med syftet att bidra med kunskap om elevers erfarenheter av att byta skolform från en auditivt orienterad skolmiljö (grundskola) till en visuellt orienterad skolmiljö (regional specialskola). Den tematiska analysen har inspirerats av Schlossbergs (1981; 2011) transitionsmodell, vilken kan appliceras på alla typer av övergångar, förändringar och byten oberoende av om de är förväntade eller ej. Elevernas byte av skolform kan ses som en flytt från en språklig och kulturell kontext till en annan, och deras erfarenheter har delats in i tre huvudteman; flytta ut, flytta in samt göra sig hemmastadd. I intervjuerna framkom varierande erfarenheter, vilket visade att gruppen D/HN-elever som byter skolform var en heterogen grupp. Resultatet visade dock på en del likheter mellan eleverna, exempelvis att en majoritet av eleverna har upplevt ett socialt utanförskap i den auditivt orienterade skolmiljön där de inte känt sig jämlika sina skolkamrater eller fått likvärdiga möjligheter till fungerande lärsituationer. Byte av skolform har påverkat elevernas identitetsarbete och de flesta eleverna beskrev efter bytet en känsla av att vara samma som de andra, känna sig hemma och känna tillhörighet med andra D/HN-elever. Vidare visade resultatet även en förskjutning i elevernas syn på teckenspråk från att ha varit ett hjälpmedel till att vara en del av deras sociala och kulturella identitet. Bytet av skolform har lett till att elevernas identitetsarbete påverkats positivt, och eleverna har gått från att vara marginaliserade till att vara inkluderade. Slutsatser som drogs utifrån resultatet var att D/HN-elever behöver få möjlighet att utveckla en positiv social identitet istället för en marginell sådan, och för att kunna göra detta är tillgång till visuellt orienterade miljöer av vikt. / Every year a number of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students change school settings during their years in compulsory school. Why the decision is being made and how the students themselves experience the transition are questions that have not been asked when researching school placement for DHH students. This study aims to contribute with knowledge about DHH students' experiences in changing from an auditory oriented school setting (compulsory school) to a visually oriented school setting (compulsory special needs school for deaf and hard-of-hearing students). The thematic analysis is informed by Schlossberg's (1981;2011) transition model, which is a model that can be applied to any form of change or transition whether expected or unexpected. The change in school settings can be seen as a move from one linguistic and cultural context to another, and the students' experiences have been divided into three themes; moving out, moving in and making oneself at home. The interviews point to different sorts of experiences which show that this group of students is vastly diverse, although with some significant similarities. The change in school setting has had an effect on their identity work and the students describe it as feeling at home, being the same as the others and as a sense of belonging with other DHH students in the visually oriented school setting. The result shows that the students have gone from seeing sign language as a tool that can facilitate communication to recognizing it as a language that is a part of them and their social and cultural identity. As stated above there has been a positive effect on the students’ work on their identities and they feel included instead of marginalized. For DHH students to develop a positive rather than a marginal social identity, the students need access to visually oriented settings.

This research paper explores the educational challenges faced by unaccompanied refugee youths in Stockholm. It focuses on the ongoing educational challenges that stem after separating from their families or other representatives in struggling to find a safe place; and adjust to a foreign country with minimal support. The research also examines what educational services that have been made available to these unaccompanied refugee youths.  Furthermore, how successful they have been in adjusting into the Swedish educational system and achieving their educational goals.   We have conducted a qualitative research method using semi-structured interviews to provide insightful findings into this research topic. The sample included ten unaccompanied refugee youths and three professionals that are experts in the area of unaccompanied refugee youths.  The findings underscore that most of the unaccompanied refugee youths´ dropout from school before they are able to achieve their post- secondary education due to different challenges that influence their educational pursuit.    Key words: challenges, support, imbalance, education, and unaccompanied Refugee youths.