The level of self-esteem of deaf children: Can participating in dance lessons with vibrational headphones improve it?

摘要

Self-esteem is an important predictor of mental health and psychological functioning. Deaf children have limited ability to listen to music and to dance. These activities are important elements of modern adolescents' life. Their inability to participate increases the sense of exclusion in young deaf people and negatively affects their self-esteem. This study aims to verify whether the level of deaf children's self-esteem will change after participating in experimental dance lessons with vibrational headphones. The experiment involved 28 deaf children aged 9-13 years old who attend special schools for deaf children in Poland. Children from the experimental (E) group participated in two dance lessons each week for a period of four months. To allow for the reception of acoustic vibrations of music, vibrational headphones were used, which reinforce the so-called bone conduction of music. To measure the level of self-esteem, a Polish adaptation of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale was administered. The results of two way ANOVA showed a significant interaction (p < 0.001) between self-esteem and the groups and tests. A significant increase in the level of self-esteem among the children in the E group (d = 0.87) and the decrease in self-esteem of the control (d = -1.13) group were found. This study shows that participating in dance lessons with the use of vibrational headphones may support positive self-esteem among deaf children.