Page No 37-48
Ragitha Radhakrishnan and Narayanan Annalakshmi
Bharathiar University, Coimbatore.
The present paper aims to examine whether resilient-self can be enhanced among
students with hearing impairment by adopting a psychological intervention appropriately
formulated for the purpose. The effect of the intervention was examined in a two-group
pre-test post-test experimental study. The areas of self-concept included in assessing
resilient-self were physical self-concept, social self-concept, academic self-concept,
and transpersonal self-concept. The enhancement of these four self-concepts and
academic achievement is considered to lead to an enhancement in resilient-self. A
purposive sample of 109 students with severe to profound hearing impairment in the
age group of 16 to 24 years from low socioeconomic background was recruited from
three schools in Kerala, India. The students were randomly assigned to either the
experimental (n=52) or the control group (n=57). The physical self-perception profile,
social self-concept scale, academic self-concept scale, transpersonal self-concept scale,
and academic performance record were employed for assessment. The intervention
spanned over 15 weeks and used techniques like conceptual teaching, storytelling, and
self-reflection.Analysis of the increment scores obtained after intervention showed that
the psychological intervention had a positive and significant effect on the resilient-self
of the participants in the experimental group. The findings imply that psychological
interventions are beneficial for individuals with hearing impairment and improve their
skills for developmental adaptation
.