Coenrollment for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: Friendship Patterns and Social Interactions

Third- and fourth-grade students in two separate classrooms—one a classroom with only hearing students and the other a coenrolled classroom with hearing, hard of hearing, and deaf students—were assessed to determine friendship patterns, attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions about sign language and deafness. Sociograms, interviews, and videotape analysis of the students’ responses were done. Results suggest that hearing students in the coenrolled classroom had better sign language skills, a more positive attitude toward deafness, and an improved awareness of certain aspects of hearing loss (such as speech and amplification). Deaf and hard of hearing students’ social acceptance was similar to that of their hearing peers.