Primary teachers’ perceived knowledge of hearing impairment and curriculum adaptations: the mediating role of institutional support for the inclusion of students with hearing impairments

An estimated nine million people in Pakistan have some form of hearing loss. Of these, less than 5% out of 1 million deaf children currently attend school [WHO Citation2018. “Addressing the Rising Prevalence of Hearing Loss”]. This study aimed to measure in-service teacher’s perceived knowledge and practice for curriculum adaptation with the mediating role of institutional support in claimed inclusive primary schools registered with the Punjab Welfare Trust for the Disabled (PWTD). A survey was conducted from in-service teachers (n = 200) in primary inclusive schools of Punjab (Pakistan). Descriptive statistics have revealed that on average teachers lack the knowledge of social, cognitive, and emotional development of children with hearing impairment. They also lack the knowledge and practice for the adaptation of content, instruction, and assessment for hearing impairment learners. The structural equation model (SEM) has shown direct relation of the knowledge of manifestations of hearing impairments with curriculum adaptations. SEM has also shown the mediating role of institutional support between knowledge of the different aspects of hearing impairments and different components of curriculum adaptations. This study would be useful for inclusive education institutions to train their teachers and develop practical guidelines to support the inclusion of children with hearing impairment.