The representation and attainment of students with a hearing loss in higher education

Richardson, John T. E. (2001). The representation and attainment of students with a hearing loss in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 26(2) pp. 183–204.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070120052107

Abstract

In 1995-96, students with a hearing loss constituted 0.20% of all students who were enrolled on programmes of study in higher education in the UK and 0.22% of students normally resident in the UK. Their representation varied with age, but within each ageband the representation of students with a hearing loss was markedly lower than the prevalence of hearing loss in the general population. This trend was compounded among students in ethnic minorities. Students with a hearing loss tended to have been admitted with lower qualifications than students with no reported disability, but those with passes at GCE Advanced Level had similar points scores. The representation of students with a hearing loss varied inversely with their level of study, it was greater in part-time students than in full-time students, and it varied markedly across different disciplines. In first-degree programmes, students with a hearing loss were equally represented in the first and subsequent years of study; at other levels, they were more likely to choose programmes that were of only a year's duration. The representation of students with a hearing loss was lower among those who obtained qualifications than among those who did not, and students with a hearing loss obtained slightly poorer first degrees than students with no reported disability; however, both of these results were due to differences in background variables. A hearing loss per se appears to have no effect on academic attainment.