Relations between perceiving the quality of classroom climate and academic achievement of deaf and hard of hearing students

Veliki broj gluve i nagluve dece se obrazuje u školama za gluve i nagluve učenike. Razlozi su brojni, a među najznačajnijim su korišćenje znakovnog jezika, tim profesionalaca obučen za rad sa gluvim i nagluvim učenicima i prilagođenost školskog okruženja. Postoji još jedan značajan razlog, a to je, da pored oštećenja sluha, učenici imaju dodatne smetnje ili oštećenja, i ovakav tip škole može izaći u susret njihovim dodatnim potrebama. Način komunikacije u školama za gluve i nagluve, raspored sedenja, prilagođenost gradiva sposobnostima učenika, samo su neki od aspekata odeljenske klime koja pomaže gluvim i nagluvim učenicima da ostvare socijalni i akademski uspeh. Za cilj istraživanja je postavljeno utvrđivanje odnosa doživljaja odeljenske klime i školskog uspeha kod gluvih i nagluvih učenika srednje škole. Prigodan uzorak za istraživanje je činilo 30 gluvih i nagluvih učenika, uzrasta od petnaest do sedamnaest godina iz tri srednje škole u Srbiji. Strukturu uzorka prema školskom uspehu činilo je 13 (43,3%) učenika sa dobrim, 11 (36,7%) sa vrlodobrim i 6 (20%) učenika sa odličnim uspehom. U istraživanju je korišćena Skala razredne klime (Vessels, 1998), sastavljena od 18 tvrdnji usmerenih na procenu relacija u odnosima učenik – učenik, učenik – nastavnik i osteljivost na nasilje u okruženju iz perspektive učenika. Rezultati istraživanja su pokazali da je percepcija odeljenske klime u značajnoj meri povezana sa školskim uspehom učenika. Učenici sa višim školskim uspehom bili su manje osetljivi na nasilje u okruženju (F = 5,34; df = 2; p = 0,011), za razliku od percepcije odnosa između učenika i nastavnika, gde su pokazali veću osetljivost (F = 4,71; df = 2; p = 0,018). Dobijeni rezultati upućuju na zaključak da učenici sa najvišim školskim uspehom imaju pozitivniju sliku odeljenske klime, a što je još važnije, ukazuju na kompleksnost odnosa koji vladaju u učionici.Many deaf and hard of hearing children attend specialized schools for deaf and hard of hearing. There are many different reasons, and the most important are the use of sign language, the fact that there are teams of professionals who are trained for working with deaf and hard of hearing students, as well as adapted school setting. Another very important reason is that this type of schools can meet any other special needs that deaf and hard of hearing students may have due to additional impairments and/or disabilities. The means and types of communication, sitting arrangement, curriculums adapted to students` abilities are just some of the aspects of classroom climate that help deaf and hard of hearing students to achieve social and academic success. Therefore, the aim of this study is determining if there is a relation between perceived classroom climate and academic achievement. The sample consisted of 30 deaf and hard of hearing students, age 15 to 17, from three high schools in Serbia. In terms of school achievement, the sample consisted of 13 (43.3%) students with average (C) grades, 11 (36.7%) students with above average (B) grades and 6 (20%) students with excellent (A) grades. Student-student relationships and student-teacher relationships, as well as awareness and reporting of violence in school environment were assessed using Vessels School Climate Questionnaire (Vessels, 1998), that consists of 18 statements. The results of the study showed that perception of classroom climate significantly correlates with academic achievement. Students with higher grades were less aware of violence in their environment (F = 5.34; p = 0.011), but they showed higher awareness in perceiving studentteacher relationship (F = 4.71; p = 0.018). The results indicate that students with the highest grades had more positive perception of classroom climate. More importantly, these results emphasize the complexity of the relationships that exist in the classroom