Vocational identity of deaf and hard of hearing adolescents

Abstract

Vocational identity development represents the key aspect of identity development and it is one of the most significant issues in the period of adolescence. The persons with strong vocational identity have clearer understanding of their own career goals and they are characterized by greater self-confidence and dedication to their career choices, which is the reason why they decide on their future profession more quickly and more easily than the persons whose vocational identity is weaker. The career development of deaf and hard of hearing adolescents takes place under conditions of auditory deprivation, which may have a negative effect on the stability of their vocational identity and thus on their choice of profession, employment and assimilation into the working environment. This study examines the connection between vocational identity of deaf and hard of hearing adolescents and the number of completed school years and age, as well as the effect of gender, the level of hearing impairment, primary mode of communication, and general performance at school at the end of a school term on vocational identity. The sample comprised 97 deaf and hard of hearing students attending seventh and eighth grades of primary school as well as all grades of secondary school, who are educated in segregating conditions in the territory of Serbia. 'My Vocational Situation' (MVS, Holland et al., 1980-a) was used as the instrument. The results of the study, following the data analysis, point to the connection between vocational identity of deaf and hard of hearing adolescents and the number of school years completed and age, as well as the effect of gender on vocational identity, while the effect of the level of hearing impairment, primary mode of communication, and general performance at school on vocational identity of the examinees has not been confirmed. Comparing these results with the results of studies conducted on the population of typically developing students, it can be concluded that the key factors for stability of vocational identity do not change with regard to the hearing status of the individual.

Razvoj profesionalnog identiteta predstavlja ključni aspekt razvoja identiteta i jedan je od najznačajnijih problema u periodu adolescencije. Osobe sa jakim profesionalnim identitetom imaju jasnije razumevanje sopstvenih profesionalnih ciljeva i karakteriše ih veće samopouzdanje i posvećenost sopstvenim profesionalnim izborima, zbog čega se brže i lakše opredeljuju za buduću profesiju od osoba čiji jeprofesionalni identitet slabiji. Profesionalni razvojgluvih i nagluvih adolescenata se odvija u uslovima auditivne deprivacije, što se može negativno odraziti na stabilnost njihovogprofesionalnog identiteta, a time i na izbor profesije, zaposlenje i uklapanje u radnu sredinu. Cilj našeg istraživanja bio je utvrditi efekat pola, stepena oštećenja sluha, primarnog načina komunikacije i opšteg uspeha učenika na kraju polugodišta na profesionalni identitet gluvih i nagluvih adolescenata, kao i povezanost ovog značajnog konstrukta sa uzrastom i brojem godina školovanja ispitanika. Ispitivanje je izvršeno na uzorku od 97 gluvih i nagluvih učenika završnih razreda osnovne škole i svih razreda srednje škole za gluve i nagluve. U istraživanju smo koristili instrument 'Moja profesionalna situacija' (Mu Vocational Situation-MVS, Holland et al., 1980). Nakon izvršenih analiza, dobijeni rezultati ukazuju na značajan efekat pola na profesionalni identitet ispitanika, kao i na povezanost profesionalnog identiteta sa uzrastom i brojem godina školovanja učenika, dok nije potvrđen uticaj stepena oštećenja sluha, školskog uspeha i primarnog načina komunikacije na profesionalni identitet ispitanika.