Renee Punch - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Renee Punch

Voices of Young Deaf Adults: Supporting Adolescent Social Capital Development

American Annals of the Deaf, 2023

Deafness & Education International, Sep 7, 2020

Transition from secondary school to postschool life, education, and employment can be difficult f... more Transition from secondary school to postschool life, education, and employment can be difficult for young people who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). This population's postschool outcomes, particularly in employment, continue to lag behind those of the general population. The transition education, planning, and practices that these students experience while at secondary school are important to their achievement of optimal postschool outcomes. This paper reviews recent literature relating to the postschool transition of young people who are DHH, including studies that have investigated specific transition practices and student characteristics and their associations with positive postschool outcomes. Taking into consideration evidencebased best practices for students with disability in general and students who are DHH in particular, the authors propose a model of targeted transition planning and practice for adolescents who are DHH.

Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Nov 23, 2005

This study incorporated both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the perception of ca... more This study incorporated both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the perception of career barriers by hard-of-hearing high school students being educated in regular classes with itinerant teacher support. Sixty-five students in Years 10, 11, and 12 completed a questionnaire about potential general and hearing-related barriers, and 12 of these respondents were subsequently interviewed. Findings indicated that other people's lack of understanding of their hearing loss constituted the greatest potential barrier to adolescents' educational and career goals. Students anticipated several other barriers in the form of functional hearing-related difficulties. Most students showed little awareness of helpful strategies or job accommodations and some had prematurely foreclosed on career choices. Implications for practice are outlined, and recommendations for teachers and career counselors are made.

Australian Journal of Teacher Education, Apr 1, 2021

With Australian disability discrimination legislation and educational policy promoting movement t... more With Australian disability discrimination legislation and educational policy promoting movement toward inclusive education, the building and supporting of inclusive education workforce capability is of paramount importance. This study investigated how principals in Australian primary and secondary educational settings support teachers to provide inclusive education and what these principals perceive to be barriers to supporting the education workforce to deliver inclusive education. The study used an online open-and closed-set survey. The findings demonstrated that principals in educational settings across the government, Catholic and independent sectors and across geographical regions offered largely similar professional learning opportunities to their staff, and expressed similar views about barriers and principals' roles in supporting their teachers to deliver inclusive education. Participants overwhelmingly reported that their role in building teacher capability was as instructional leaders and brokers of workforce professional learning. There was a strong indication by principals of the need for teachers' knowledge and skills to be developed and of the need for high quality, effective ongoing professional learning. Participants reported barriers to supporting teachers to deliver inclusive education, most commonly an insufficiency of time, finances, and access. Recommendations for better supporting teachers in primary and secondary settings to deliver inclusive education are made.

Geriatric Nursing, Mar 1, 2019

The prevalence of age-related hearing loss is high among older adults. Growing longevity and the ... more The prevalence of age-related hearing loss is high among older adults. Growing longevity and the older profile of aged care residents is likely to result in an increasing incidence of hearing loss among this cohort. This review reports on the findings of a systematic search of the academic databases CINAHL, Medline, PsychInfo and Scopus undertaken to investigate the hearing experiences of residents of aged care facilities. Twentytwo studies met the inclusion criteria. Our analysis revealed clear barriers and facilitators to optimal hearing experiences and indicated the importance of the physical and social environment for effective communication. Under-detection of hearing loss and underuse of hearing aids were prevalent. The findings highlight the importance of addressing these issues for this cohort's quality of life. Future trends that may impact on training needs are considered and recommendations are made.

Australian Journal of Psychology, Jun 6, 2008

In Australia, there is widespread community concern about the wellbeing of adolescents, particula... more In Australia, there is widespread community concern about the wellbeing of adolescents, particularly at the important time of approaching the transition from school to post-school life. However, few studies have focused on the wellbeing of Australian Year 12 students. This paper reports on a study investigating wellbeing among 377 Year 12 students in three public high schools in eastern Australia. The study explored wellbeing in terms of environmental and personality variables and investigated whether the school setting provided environmental elements that enhance adolescent wellbeing in ways similar to those provided by employment for adult wellbeing. The results indicated that school contributed significantly to adolescent wellbeing by providing time structure, access to the wider society, and social contact. Personality variables were found to be significant predictors of life satisfaction and affective wellbeing. The findings have implications for the enhancement of environmental features that may optimise the wellbeing of adolescents at school.

American Annals of the Deaf, 2016

American Annals of the Deaf, Jun 1, 2022

The role of social capital in the transition to postsecondary education of students who are deaf ... more The role of social capital in the transition to postsecondary education of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. American Annals of the Deaf, 167(3), 334-354.

Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Apr 1, 2005

American Annals of the Deaf, 2010

American Annals of the Deaf, 2011

U DY, which included surveys of 247 parents and 151 teachers, the researchers investigated the mo... more U DY, which included surveys of 247 parents and 151 teachers, the researchers investigated the modes of communication used by children with cochlear implants and the role of signed communication in the children's lives. Findings indicated that 15%-20% of the children in the parent surveys and approximately 30% of the children in the teacher surveys were using some form of signed communication. Qualitative findings from interviews with parents, teachers, and children with cochlear implants elaborated on the quantitative findings. While the development of spoken-language communication was the main aim of their children's cochlear implantation for the large majority of parents, many valued the use of either Signed English or Australian Sign Language, which they felt supported their children's personal, social, and academic development. Young people who used sign switched comfortably between communication modes according to their communication partners, topics, and settings.

Australian Journal of Education, Feb 19, 2020

Australia has legislation in the form of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) and the Dis... more Australia has legislation in the form of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) and the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Cth) that has the objective of eliminating disability discrimination. The purpose of this scoping review was to determine the extent to which this legislation is achieving the elimination of discrimination against students with disability in primary and secondary schooling. The review reports on the findings of a systematic search of law and education databases that identified 18 peer-reviewed articles discussing the legislation, relevant literature and related case law in the context of the education of students with disability in Australia.

Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Dec 18, 2020

There are many documented benefits of social capital to adolescents in general, and for young peo... more There are many documented benefits of social capital to adolescents in general, and for young people who are deaf or hard of hearing social capital can potentially have a buffering effect against adverse life outcomes. Using the Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Questionnaire (Asher et al., 1984; Cassidy & Asher, 1992) and the Looman Social Capital Scale (Looman, 2006), this research investigated changes in levels of social capital and loneliness and peer relationships of deaf or hard of hearing adolescents before attending a residential camp and then three, six-and 12-months post-camp. The camp was specifically for DHH adolescents whose primary communication mode was spoken language. The study also investigated associations between social capital and adolescents' perceptions of loneliness and peer relationships. Results indicated no statistically significant change in social capital and loneliness and peer relations over the four-time points. There was a significant association between one social capital scale, common good, and loneliness. Implications of these findings are discussed, and recommendations are made for enhancing social capital development within a residential camp experience.

Career development of deaf and hard of hearing adolescents : career decision-making, career maturity and perceived career barriers

Barriers and facilitators to engaging in mainstream primary school classrooms: Voices of students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing

Deafness & Education International, 2021

ABSTRACT Classroom engagement can be problematic for students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (DH... more ABSTRACT Classroom engagement can be problematic for students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH), but is essential to ensure that they can reach their best educational and postschool outcomes. This study used semi-structured interviews to explore the self-perceived barriers and facilitators to classroom engagement for 16 DHH students educated in mainstream primary school settings. The interviews consisted of a series of questions and a card-sorting activity. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Four themes were generated from the thematic analysis. Barriers to engagement were considered as a single theme, while facilitators to engagement were divided into three themes of student strategies, supports to students, and teacher actions. The barriers and facilitators identified demonstrate the range of complex factors that contribute to or impede the engagement of students who are DHH in mainstream classrooms. This information can be used to inform teachers, professionals, students, and their parents about the experiences of these students in mainstream classrooms. In particular, the findings indicate the importance of self-advocacy and the potential benefits of implementing self-advocacy programmes to help students who are DHH manage the challenges to engagement they face in the classroom. The findings also highlight the importance of the consistent use of facilitative teaching strategies by the classroom teacher, and the crucial impact of background noise on engagement along with improvements that could contribute to better noise management.