Teaching of Social Justice and Sustainable Development for inclusion: Improving Identity, Positionality and Reflexivity of Students with Hearing Impairment

Abstract

The objectives of this quantitative research was to investigate how the identity of students with hearing impairment is influenced by social justice and sustainable development education, to analyze the positionality of hearing-impaired students in the context of inclusive education, to explore the role of reflexivity in the learning experiences of hearing-impaired students, to assess the impact of social justice and sustainable development education on the empowerment and agency of hearing-impaired students. The data was taken from (183) Teachers working in Government Special Education Schools and Centers in Punjab, and (164) Parents of students with hearing impairment. In order to get the responses from the participants, two self-developed and validated Questionnaire on five point Likert type scale (IPR for teachers r=.809 ) was used to collect data from teachers selected through stratified sampling technique. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. This research was very helpful in bringing new inclinations in Inclusion. The results indicate that the curricula with social justice perspectives enhance identity building, self-advocacy, and participation of students in inclusive education. The research has some suggestions on how teacher training, assistive technologies, and culturally responsive instruction can be used to comprehensively address the holistic growth of hearing-impaired students. Some of the recommendations are to incorporate Deaf culture in the curriculum, create leadership opportunities, and introduction of universal design of learning (UDL). This study recommends inclusive education policies and practices that empower students with hearing impairments and ensure their lifelong learning by aligning inclusive education with sustainable development goals (SDGs).