Science motivation among deaf and hard-of-hearing students: A cross-sectional study in Bhutan

Most studies on students’ motivation in science have been conducted among hearing populations, while research involving Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) students remains limited. The present study aimed to explore the motivation of DHH students toward science learning at Wangsel Institute for the Deaf (WID) to provide baseline data to inform educational practices and enhance learning outcomes. Adopting a cross-sectional survey design, the study employed the Science Motivation Questionnaire II (SMQ-II) to investigate DHH students’ motivation in science. The sample comprised 51 DHH students (27 boys and 24 girls), aged 13–28 years, from classes 5–12. The applicability and validity of the SMQ-II for DHH students were examined through content validity index (CVI) analysis, inter-scale correlations, and internal consistency reliability analysis. Upon establishing validity, further analyses were conducted to measure motivation levels across SMQ-II constructs. Overall, DHH students demonstrated a moderate level of motivation, with mean scores ranging from 2.16–2.86 (SD = 0.74-0.94) on a 0–4 scale. Gender-based comparisons revealed that boys exhibited higher motivation across all constructs than girls. Similarly, secondary-level students showed higher motivation compared to those in lower grades.