ERIC Number: EJ1077475
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0885-6257
EISSN: N/A
Negotiating Reassurance: Parents' Narratives on Follow-Up after Cochlear Implantation
Bruin, Marieke; Ohna, Stein Erik
European Journal of Special Needs Education, v30 n4 p518-534 2015
This study presents an analysis of parental experiences on follow-up after cochlear implantation. Data were constructed in semi-structured, individual interviews with the parents of 14 children who use cochlear implants. Drawing on narrative analysis, the study explores parental responses to insecurity concerning children's learning and development, as well as the meaning professional support holds for parents. In their response to insecurity, the parents handle the "trouble" of insecurity through constructing two narratives of self: the parent-as-learner and the parent-as-teacher. The parents use these narrative constructions to negotiate reassurance, holding themselves responsible for future outcomes. The parents' stories reflect a language of instrumentality, inducing a burden of responsibility. The study addresses the need to question to which extent parents should act as teachers and cautions that, while acknowledging the importance of parents' involvement for children's learning and development, this should not reduce the relationship to a functional, pedagogical one. The contribution of the study is to bring into conversation how the language of instrumentality affects the parents and how this invokes a need for rethinking parent support. Suggestions for further research are given.
Descriptors: Deafness, Assistive Technology, Semi Structured Interviews, Children, Hearing Impairments, Parent Attitudes, Child Development, Coping, Personal Narratives, Self Concept, Parents as Teachers, Parent Responsibility, Foreign Countries, Interviews
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Norway
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A