1 Introduction

According to Hallahan et al. [1], deaf people have severe hearing loss that prevents them from processing linguistic information through oral communication, with or without hearing aids. Research by Hallahan et al. [1] and Heward [2] has also shown that sign language instruction is necessary for deaf learners to benefit from their education. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), in 2015, deaf students had difficulty in all subjects, especially reading and math. As a result, their academic performance is poor compared to their hearing peers, and the gap widens as they age [3]. On the other hand, poor communication can be harmful to all learners, regardless of physical health, but it is especially harmful to deaf students because their primary teaching method relies on sign language for understanding. In fact, one of the biggest barriers to learning for deaf learners is communication [4]. Because a deaf learner’s ability to communicate depends heavily on these coping strategies, participating in class without a sign language interpreter or having difficulty lip-reading can create barriers in communication [5,6,7,8]. In other words, an inclusive teacher's communication method must consider the many methods of receiving information that students use.

In this context, Alothman [9] and Sirimanna [10] emphasize the importance of improving the acoustic environment for deaf learners to improve their ability to absorb and process linguistic information in the classroom. According to El-Zraigat and Smadi [11], Alothman [9], Gudyanga et al. [4], most of the deaf learners' study in classrooms with inadequate facilities and lack of noise control mechanisms in the classroom. This hinders their learning process and leads to communication problems. In view of this, the availability of sign language interpreters, appropriate teaching methods, effective communication techniques, and classrooms that support low internal and external noise pollution pose challenges for educating deaf learners. Therefore, El-Zraigat and Smadi [11] found that curriculum changes were prioritized for deaf learners who had to learn using alternative teaching strategies like use of vision as primary model of instruction.

According to Thompson et al. [12], maladaptive coping methods such as denial and avoidance are associated with undesirable behaviors such as conflict. Andersson and Hägnebo’s [13] results support this conclusion, showing that deaf learners sometimes use coping methods such as avoidance and confrontation. Carver et al. [14], termed ineffective coping techniques, are comparable to maladaptive coping strategies. Vik and Lassen [15], on the other hand, found that people with impairments employ problem-focused coping techniques to deal with stressful situations in their lives. These assume that avoidance and confrontation are ineffective coping mechanisms compared with maladaptive coping mechanisms.

Deaf learners in Ethiopia encounter numerous obstacles in learning and due to these most of them drop out of school [16]. Mekonnen et al. [17], claim that the education of deaf learners is hampered in a setting where hearing is taxed, and as a result, most of these learners are compelled to leave school. By guaranteeing the right to access and receive a high-quality education, government initiatives to increase access to education have been extremely successful [18]. As a result, Ethiopia still faces great challenges in providing deaf learners with access to high-quality education [19, 20] even if the Ethiopia government clearly articulated to access education for students with special needs in its special needs and inclusive education strategy [16]. Although some educators in Ethiopia are considering integrating deaf learners into regular classrooms, they lacked adequate training and instructional materials to meet the unique requirements of these students [21].

Now, Ethiopian universities and colleges are offering teacher preparation programs that focus on special needs and inclusive education [20]. These changes are positive. Additionally, all undergraduate program trainees across all teacher preparation colleges and higher education institutions take inclusivity as a common subject as part of Ethiopia's present higher education curriculum. The minimum requirement for becoming a teacher in Ethiopia is a three-year diploma, while a four-year Bachelor of Arts degree in special needs and inclusive education is required. On the other hand, teacher education programs are only offered in public higher education institutions. According to Haye [22], the theoretical component and the medical model of disability play a key role in Ethiopia's higher education institutions' special needs and inclusive education courses. As a result, recent graduates lack genuine pedagogical abilities that are crucial in inclusive environments, such as sign language proficiency, which can help them be successful teachers of both deaf and hearing students [22]. According to Miles et al. [18], teachers may struggle to instruct children in inclusive settings due to a lack of sign language proficiency, and they may also develop unfavorable views regarding the implementation of inclusive education. As per these authors, teachers’ deficiency in sign language highly affects the deaf learning in Ethiopia.

According to Mulat [20], there is a significant gap in the school admission of students with disabilities in general and deaf learners in particular, despite the Ethiopian government's exerted extraordinary efforts to establish policies that support the education of children with disabilities in inclusive settings. The legitimate explanations for the lower enrollment of deaf learners in educational systems include the stigma associated with disabilities in society, a lack of trained personnel, a shortage of sign language interpreters, rigid curricula, ineffective teaching strategies, an inhospitable learning environment, and a dearth of screening and assessment tools [16]. On the other hand, the study findings of Mulat [20] indicate that the overall number of deaf learners in Ethiopia who are of school age is not known. According to study results from the World Health Organization, 466 million people worldwide suffer from hearing impairment, with most of them residing in low- and middle-income nations [23]. The learning of deaf learners in sub-Saharan Africa was most significantly impacted by the lack of trustworthy data, information accessibility issues, and harmful traditional practices [24]. This indicates that the lack of tangible data on prevalence of deaf learners is another challenge the affects their academic and social participation in Ethiopia.

In sub-Saharan African nations, including Ethiopia, society continues to embrace negative traditional and cultural views toward people with disabilities [25,26,27,28]. Most importantly, some people believe that deafness is perceived as demonic captivity or as God’s punishment for misdeeds committed by a person [20, 28]. As a result, parents in rural Ethiopia frequently hide their deaf children from the public [20, 28]. Mulat [20] noted that most Ethiopians perceive deaf learners as a burden to society and the environment, and they use harsh terminology such the Amharic terms “Denkoro” and “Duda” for deaf, which have negative connotations like fool. Deaf learners in Ethiopia typically face obstacles linked to a hostile social environment, a lack of sign language interpreters, inefficient teaching methods, and a paucity of skilled labor.

However, as per Ingrid Parkin the first Deaf Principal at St. Vincent School for the Deaf, the most difficult aspect of working in the field of deaf education in South Africa, particularly as a deaf person and a deaf teacher, is realizing that, for the most part, deaf learners are fully capable of achieving the same educational outcomes as any other learner [29]. According to Storbeck and Martin [29] the frustrating thing is that, due to low expectations throughout the world, deaf learners are not currently achieving equal outcomes and are therefore seen by the system as incapable of doing so. It is undoubtedly an experience of tremendous mental and emotional states, speaking as someone with a stake in this sector both personally and professionally.

Accordingly, this study is followed by ecological system theory [30] to understand the academic and social challenges of deaf learners in Ethiopian elementary schools, which is viewed from two levels, such as the meso and micro levels. The meso level challenges focus on the broader perspective of deaf learners’ inclusion in regular classroom, which is related to teachers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of deaf learners in regular primary schools. The micro-level concentrates on the challenges within education settings that can be explained regarding appropriateness of instructional methods and materials, accessibility to information, sign language interpretation services, and social environment accessibility. On the other hand, it follows the psychodynamic and cognitive theories of Radinitz and Tiersky [31] to see the coping mechanisms of deaf learners. Psychodynamic theories are related to “coping as a style [32]. On the other hand, “coping as a process” by Thompson et al. [12] describes the transactional approach. Cognitive theories of coping with stress focus on the cognitive processes that mediate between the stressful condition and an individual’s emotional and behavioral responses to the stressful situation. Hence, the current study addressed the following research topics considering the theoretical and practical evidence of deaf learners.

  • What difficulties do deaf learners in Ethiopian elementary schools' face in their academic and social lives?

  • How are deaf learners in Ethiopian elementary schools coping social and academic difficulties they face?

1.1 Methods

1.1.1 Research design

Research design, according to several academics, is a strategy that directs the researcher throughout the entire data gathering and analysis process in accordance with the research objectives [33, 34]. The methods employed by the researcher in the selection of participants, data collecting, data analysis, and reporting of the findings are revealed by the research design, as acknowledged by Daniel, Kumar, and Omar [34]. Thus, the current study used a phenomenological design qualitative research approach to examine the academic and social difficulties faced by deaf learners and their coping mechanisms at two primary schools in the Ethiopian towns of Dilla and Hawassa.

The use of descriptive phenomenology to investigate the lived experiences of deaf learners was suitable. Phenomenology is a study approach that aims to describe the essence of a phenomenon by exploring it from the perspective of individuals who experienced it, according to Neubauer et al. [35]. Determining the meaning of this experience, along with what was experienced and how it was experienced, is the aim of phenomenology [35, 36]. In phenomenology, the investigator gathers information from people who are undergoing a particular occurrence. After organizing and analyzing the data, the researcher creates a composite description that captures the core of the experience for each participant [37].

Based on this, the everyday academic and social experiences of deaf learners were collected and analyzed. Concurring to Teherani et al. [38], the objective of phenomenological plan is to name the soul of a marvel by finding it from the side of those who have experienced it. Based on this, the current study examined how the meanings and interpretations of an individual's participation in the study as it is perceived through their life environment affect the decisions that the individual makes.

1.2 Population, samples, and sampling techniques

The study's target audience consisted of deaf eighth graders from two Ethiopian primary schools. The schools were chosen based on purposive sampling technique because they had a higher percentage of deaf learners than the other schools. Deaf learners in grade eight were also selected by purposive sampling technique because they are expected to express their opinions, feelings, and ideas more clearly than learners in lower grade levels. The Dilla sample school is a conventional primary school with 875 students in grades 1 through 8, 57 of whom have various forms of impairments and five of them are deaf. On the other hand, the Hawassa sample school is a typical primary school with grades 1 through 8 and a total of 871 learners, 61 of the total school population have various sorts of disabilities and four of them are deaf. Nine deaf learners—four males, one female, and five total—and three males, one female, and four total—were chosen from the elementary schools in Dilla and Hawassa towns, respectively, for interviews because the researcher thought they could give the data the study needed. Since qualitative research focuses on the formation of meaning rather than extrapolating findings to a larger population, several researchers have consistently demonstrated that the sample size is significantly smaller in qualitative research than in quantitative research [39].

1.3 Data collection tools

All participants in this study who participated in semi-structured interviews had their academic and social obstacles and coping strategies for stressful situations explored. In two separate shifts, the interviews were conducted on the school grounds. A prior arrangement was made with each respondent through personal contact to schedule an appropriate time and date for interviews to avoid delays and disappointments. A well-known sign language interpreter was hired to translate the interview conducted with the deaf learners and the sign language skills of deaf learners are pre-checked before conducting the interview. Each interview session lasted an hour. Each respondent's six pages of data from the interview were formatted with a 12-size font and 1.5 points of space. The Amharic version of interviews was recorded and anonymously coded. The interview data was also checked by a well-known sign language instructor and verified for its accuracy. An English teacher then translated nine interviews from their original languages into text. The English versions of data were checked by the respondents for its accuracy once more after the final report had been written.

1.4 Data analysis

Because all information was received from respondents who were presumed to be important, semi-structured interview data were subjected to word-by-word narrative analysis [40, 41]. The researcher used word-by-word narrative analysis to extract, analyze, and record the academic and social phenomenon of the respondents. As repeating themes in interviews suggest that the concept narrated is shared by various respondents, increasing the dependability of the data, the purpose of comparing one interview transcript with another was to check for consistency in the data provided [42]. Transcribing interview data came first in this procedure. After the interview data transcribed by instructor from department of English and foreign language, its accuracy checked by Sign language instructor.

1.5 Credibility and reliability

The researcher examined the data's sufficiency, examined the reliability and validity of the instruments, and evaluated the suitability of the data analysis method used to assure the data's reliability. On the other hand, every step of the study's methodology was meticulously recorded to assure its reliability.

2 Results and discussion

In two elementary schools in Ethiopia, this study attempted to investigate the academic and social difficulties faced by deaf learners and the coping mechanisms they employed to handle the inconvenient situation. However, there is some limitation in collecting data as the respondents are from only two schools and the challenges that deaf learners faced are not verified by other stakeholders in the education system. With these limitations, the following analyses of the study’s findings emerged from the study.

1. What difficulties do deaf learners in Ethiopian elementary schools' face in their academic and social lives?

2.1 Communication breakdown brought on by a lack of sign language interpreters

In this regard, one of the respondents made the following statement:

We faced a variety of difficulties in processing verbal communication because we attended lessons without sign language interpreters and because it was difficult for us to read teachers' lips due to the instructional methodologies used by those teachers (D9 interviewee, 2023).

This suggests that a lack of effective communication poses the biggest academic challenge for deaf learners. The conclusions on this matter came from conversations with deaf learners. The results of this study showed that the issues with ineffective communication are caused by a lack of sign language interpreters and difficulties understanding teachers' lips.

One of the respondents went on to say that;

Going to lessons without a sign language interpreter is a waste of time since I cannot hear the teacher using sign language, even when I am seated right in front of the chalkboard. In other words, teachers' proficiency in using sign language or the availability of sign-language interpreters will have a greater impact on the efficacy of deaf learners who utilize sign language for communication (D7 interviewee, 2023).

The other respondent, D5, stated that "we found it challenging to access verbal information, particularly on academic matters like tests and assignments because most of the assignments are given during the oral presentation." D6 added, "Most of the time, I am not aware of the assignment that has been given; I complete my assignments in a rush to meet the deadline; thus, I do an assignment that is below standard." This demonstrates that the apparent communication difficulties deaf learners experienced were either they did not obtain the information, or they did extremely late, which caused them to turn in their homework late. Some deaf learners were compelled to submit incomplete or subpar assignments, take tests without adequate preparation, or occasionally fail the test entirely because they were forced to wait to get information.

Other respondents (D5) had a view that was like their own: "I recall missing one test since I was not informed about it; they announced a test as usual verbally and I did not hear it”. The test was taken without my knowledge by my other pupils. Deaf learners still encounter social ignorance by teachers and have poor interactions with their hearing peers despite communication difficulties that limit their access to verbal information in regular classrooms. Like each other, the two remarks appear to point out the subpar assistance these students receive from their hearing peers who act as note-takers. This issue is linked to non-deaf learners’ unfavorable attitudes toward their deaf classmates.

2.2 Teachers related challenges

According to a D3 respondent, "most of our schoolteachers rejected deaf learners in their classes out of concern that it would lower their mean score." These replies suggest that some educators have unfavorable views of deaf learners and low expectations for learners with other disabilities. This was supported by a second responder (D2) who added, "Our school teachers do not believe in our abilities; this explains why they don't allow us to answer our examination using sign language. This is because they are not confident in our abilities."

However, D9 also mentioned receiving support from the teachers, saying that "as the problem slowly became known to the teachers, some of them would voluntarily ask me to sit in front, and some would go further to give me extra classes in their offices to catch up with my peers without hearing problems". D4 added, "I never gave up in whatever difficult situation I had in life; I would make sure that I struggled until I found the answers to my own problems”. The D4 statement acknowledges the necessity for personal responsibility and diligence when dealing with any inconvenient situations in life. The reaction never implies that D4 was persistent and determined in her life goals, which allowed a deaf learner the capacity to put up with discomfort for best results.

The study's basic conclusions showed that deaf learners may experience academic and social difficulties in both academic and social circumstances because of a dearth of sign language interpreters and teachers' unfavorable attitudes. The deaf learners suffered because of communication difficulties between teachers and students caused by the absence of sign language interpreters during the instructional process.

According to this study's findings about the ineffective communication between teachers and deaf learners, teaching strategies did not seem to consider individual characteristics, the variety of learners’ requirements, or inclusive values [16, 20, 43]. The results support previous studies by Mpofu and Chimhenga [5], and Phiri [44]. When it comes to providing lecture notes for deaf learners, Mpofu and Chimhenga [5] contend that since it is challenging for them to simultaneously read lips and take notes, lecturers should give them in advance if note-takers are not available.

The main barrier preventing deaf learners from accessing education was going to be the communication difficulties they encountered. According to the study’s findings, deaf learners' ability to communicate and participate in class is negatively impacted by external factors including a shortage of sign language interpreters [16, 19, 20]. This investigation indicated that some deaf learners were attending classes without sign language interpreters due to a shortage, and other deaf learners reported having trouble picking up lip reading. Even if the government of Ethiopia exerted its special needs and inclusive education strategy in 2012 to access education for learners with special needs, still there is shortage of sign language interpreters in schools. This may be related to limited sign language skills training in colleges and universities for regular classroom teachers in teacher education curriculum.

Insufficient classroom accommodations have been linked in several research with communication difficulties among deaf learners [4, 9, 11]. According to these studies, most deaf learners' classrooms were never changed to accommodate their unique demands. This resulted in certain restrictions on how effectively learners could read lips, which in turn led to communication difficulties. The study's conclusions showed that some deaf learners have trouble communicating with teachers in the classrooms where they were being handled by pen and paper. This method enables the learner to write down what they wish to say to the other party, and the other party will react in the same way.

2. How are deaf learners in Ethiopian elementary schools coping social and academic difficulties they face?

One of the respondents D1 stated, "In my school, most teachers are not familiar with sign language; I usually communicate by writing in a piece of paper by which the teachers will ask me questions related to the academic difficulties I face during instructional sessions".

Another respondent, D9, had the same sentiment when she said, "I normally communicate through writing when I am at the group discussion; therefore, before asking for any services in group discussion, I would tell a teacher and the students that I am deaf." After that, we write on a sheet of paper to communicate. These two comments show that deaf learners have other communication methods in addition to lip reading and sign language that they can use if they are having trouble utilizing lip reading and sign language to communicate. The same approach can be used with their hearing counterparts and is beneficial; especially for individuals who are socially isolated due to communication difficulties.

According to one of the respondents,

Ignoring everyone who treats me poorly is the other approach to avoid being influenced by rejections and negative attitudes. You know, occasionally, people take advantage of my situation and say hurtful things to me in person because they think I cannot hear them. They are unaware that I can read lips. I also act in the same way in such circumstances, appearing to be unaware of what they stated (D6 interviewee, 2023).

Another interviewee, D5, who stated that “I have been affected by social rejections but now I am trying my level best to ignore them,” echoed this sentiment. The respondents D5 and D6 believe that while certain coping strategies, like fortitude and diligence, are constructive since they helped a person become adaptive, other coping strategies, like distance, are non-adaptive because they do not help a person adjust to a new position in life. Even if the respondents use resilience as a coping strategy, it may negatively affect their social interaction in general for their future life.

Deaf learners in the current study reported that one of their coping mechanisms is to ignore and distance themselves from those who have a bad attitude toward them. This is consistent with research by Thompson et al. [12], Andersson and Hägnebo [13] that highlighted non-adaptive coping techniques used by deaf learners in stressful situations that involve negative behaviors like distancing and avoidance. Non-adaptive coping techniques are comparable to the dysfunctional coping mechanisms described by Carver et al. [14]. The use of pen and paper by deaf learners to deal with the difficulties caused by ineffective communication during group activities, on the other hand, is consistent with Vik and Lassen's [15] findings that people with disabilities use problem-focused coping techniques to deal with stressful situations in their lives. The current study also verified that the deaf learner's ability to communicate depends heavily on these coping strategies, participating in class without a sign language interpreter or having difficulty lip-reading which in turn can create barriers in communication [5,6,7,8]. The main coping mechanisms employed by the deaf learners in the current study region to deal with stressful situations in their lives were problem-focused and non-adaptive coping mechanisms.

3 Conclusions

The difficulties generated by a shortage of sign language interpreters for deaf learners hindered their access to teachers' instructions and exam participation in addition to creating a communication issue. The study's conclusions shed light on the significance of teachers' acceptance and provision of necessary assistance for the success of deaf learners in the participating primary schools. Due to the communication difficulties found in this study, it is necessary to provide accommodating classrooms with less internal and external noise disturbance to effectively include deaf learners in conventional classes. There is insufficient sign language interpretation during verbal teaching and teachers have a negative attitude towards deaf learners, there is little student–teacher interaction, which negatively affects the academic and social engagement of deaf students in schools. As essential adapting components for their upsetting circumstances, deaf learners locked in non-adaptive components, counting overlooking, and removing themselves from others. Deaf learners also use pen and paper strategies to deal with the difficulties caused by ineffective communication during group activities.

3.1 Recommendations

The primary conclusions were followed by the following recommendations. The Ministry of Education should update the curricula for teacher preparation at all levels to include crucial information about the education of deaf learners in regular classrooms that can alter their attitudes towards these learners. The schools should prepare and provide awareness-raising training on the social and academic difficulties that deaf learners face due to ineffective communication and how to instruct deaf learners in schools. The local government is expected to hire sign language interpreters to improve the academic and social difficulties deaf learners encounter in their learning.