Assessment of Climate Science Knowledge and Perceptions of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students

Abstract

Curricula related to sustainability and climate science are being integrated into academic science courses and programs. We set out to assess the knowledge of some of these environmental concepts among a group of Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing (D/d/HH) postsecondary students. A survey that attempted to gauge student understanding and perceptions of climate science was developed, administered to D/d/HH and hearing college students, and analyzed. Preliminary results showed that there could be some gaps in related knowledge among the D/d/HH group. Rasch analysis was then used to assess the quality of the survey for the intended outcomes and improved iterations of the survey were developed and further evaluated for use with D/d/HH students. Through this work, we found that it is important to examine the language contained in the designed instrument in order to assess the true understanding of D/d/HH students (and most likely, other English Language Learners). This study could inform the development of interventions and curricular changes for D/d/HH students related to climate science topics.