Insights into children who are hard of hearing and their attitudes towards mathematics

Ascertaining student's attitudes towards mathematics has been an area of research interest for decades. With the increased number of students who have diverse backgrounds, research techniques need to be able to capture and cater for a range of students' needs. The research reported here uses a multi-modal approach to investigate students' attitudes, whereby students complete a drawing of themselves doing mathematics, provide a written description, participate in a semi-structured interview, and are then observed during mathematical learning experiences. Together, these four research techniques provide a comprehensive view of a student's attitude towards mathematics. This paper reports on three students who are Hard of Hearing. The findings illuminate several critical aspects for students who are Hard of Hearing attitudes towards mathematics, including how their hearing loss influences their attitude and the role of Perceived Competence.