THE VALUE SYSTEM IN DEAF POLISH ADOLESCENTS

Адолесценцијата е клучната фаза за развој на системите на вредности, кои се еден од најзначајните карактеристики на човечкиот идентитет. Проблемот за дискусија е перцепцијата на системите на вредности од страна на глувите лица кои претставуваат културно малцинство. Таква претпоставка може да се направи врз основа на анкетата за меѓунационални вредности спроведена од страна на S.H. Schwartz. За ова истражување беше избран методот на Schwartz за мерење на нивото на култура кај поединци. Шеесет и шест глуви адолесцентни, ученици од средно целодневно училиште на возраст помеѓу 15 и 20 години (29 машки, 37 женски) и 93 ученици од средношколски интернат на возраст помеѓу 15 и 17 години (39 машки и 54 женски), беа тестирани со помош на Прашалникот на Schwartz за застапеност на вредностите. Резултатите покажаа дека разликите во системот на вредности во групата беа поделени според полот. Адолесцентните момчиња кои слушаат сметаа дека благонаклонетоста, хедонизмот и поттикнувањето се поважни, за разлика од женските адолесценти. Во глувата подгрупа, девојчињата ги ценеа безбедноста, моќта и достигнувањето повеќе од момчињата. Adolescence is the core stage for the development of the value system, one of the most important determinants of the human identity. The issue discussed in this paper is the perception of the value system by the people with impaired hearing who constitute a cultural minority. Such assumption can be made based on the cross-cultural value survey conducted by S.H. Schwartz. The Schwartz’s approach was chosen in this research to measure the culture on individual level. Sixty-six deaf adolescent students from secondary residential schools aged between15 and 20 years (29 male, 37 female) and 93 hearing students from boarding middle schools aged between 15 and 17 years (39 male and 54 female) were tested by using the Schwartz Portrait Values Questionnaire. The results showed that the intergroup value system differences were modified by gender. Hearing adolescent males considered benevolence, hedonism and stimulation as more important than female adolescents did. In the deaf subgroup, the females valued security, power and achievement more than males.


Резиме Abstract
Адолесценцијата Adolescence is the core stage for the development of the value system, one of the most important determinants of the human identity.The issue discussed in this paper is the perception of the value system by the people with impaired hearing who constitute a cultural minority.Such assumption can be made based on the cross-cultural value survey conducted by S.H. Schwartz.The Schwartz's approach was chosen in this research to measure the culture on individual level.Sixty-six deaf adolescent students from secondary residential schools aged between15 and 20 years (29 male, 37 female) and 93 hearing students from boarding middle schools aged between 15 and 17 years (39 male and 54 female) were tested by using the Schwartz Portrait Values Questionnaire.
The results showed that the intergroup value system differences were modified by gender.
Hearing adolescent males considered benevolence, hedonism and stimulation as more important than female adolescents did.In the deaf subgroup, the females valued security, power and achievement more than males.
Sixty-six deaf adolescent students from secondary residential schools aged between15 and 20 years (29 male, 37 female) and 93 hearing students from boarding middle schools aged between 15 and 17 years (39 male and 54 female) were assessed to identify their system of values.All schools were located in Małopolska province, in the south of Poland.
Thirteen deaf adolescents came from families where at least one parent was deaf and signing and 53 came from hearing families.The level of hearing impairment was profound (>90dB) within 19 pupils who did not use hearing aids and severe (71-90 dB) within 47 pupils who used hearing aids.1).The subjects used a 6item scale to assess the meaning of each value by identifying themselves with an imagined person who represented the maximum expression (the person is like me = 1) or the minimum expression (the person is not like me = 6) of the value.The structures of the 10 values has shown a cross-cultural stability across dozens of countries and it was found to relate meaningfully to existing behaviors, such as pro-social, anti-social, environmental, political, consumer and intellectual activities.A low result on a particular scale indicates a high index for the relevant value.The research was conducted in a residential school setting.Most deaf/hard of hearing students in Poland attend residential schools for the deaf.Therefore, it was important to compare their results with those of a similar group of hearing adolescents attending boarding schools, considering that this factor will affect the level of value system transmission between generations within the family.Both, the deaf and the hearing adolescents that participated in the data collection were nonclinical samples with no additional developmental disorders.The process of data gathering was held at school venues.Each session was hosting between six and eight deaf/hard of hearing students coming from the same grade.The researcher and qualified interpreter at each session presented the attendees with a questionnaire consent form and an outline for the purpose of the research.The participants viewed the DVD version (in Polish) of the Schwartz Portrait Values Questionnaire, translated into manually coded Polish (SJM) after which they recorded their responses on the paper form (in Polish).Where necessary, the interpreter helped the attendees to understand the instructions by repeating the recoded снимената верзија.Адолесцентите, кои слушаат, учествуваа во истражувањето во сесија одржана во нивните училишта во групи од 20 и 28 ученици.Истражувачот придружен од учител, ја презентира целта на истражувањето и прашалникот.Учениците го потполија формуларот (на полски).

Постапка Procedure
version of the questionnaire.Hearing adolescents participated in the study session held at their school in a group of 20 to 28 students.The researcher accompanied by a teacher from the school presented the purpose of the study and the questionnaire.Then the students filled in the paper form (in Polish).

Резултати Results
Анализата The analysis of the value system of deaf/hard of hearing adolescents has revealed interesting correlations.Benevolence, tradition, hedonism and self-direction were similar in both experimental groups.However, hearing impairment does seem to differentiate the importance of some values.Deaf adolescents considered universalism (t=-3,41; p<0,001), conformity (t=-2,73; p<0,007), security (t=-2,28; p<0,02) and stimulation (t=-3,22; p<0,002) to be more important than their hearing peers.However, power (t=-2,07; p<0,04) and achievement (t=-4,30; p<0,0001) were less important for the deaf than for the hearing adolescents.These differences found within the deaf and hearing subgroups are further differentiated in the context of gender belonging.Three significant differences within the deaf subgroup regarding gender were found to be distinct from the hearing subgroup.Among the hearing adolescents, males consider benevolence (t=3,61, p<0,001), hedonism (t=2,9; p<0,001) and stimulation (t=2,10; p<0,05) more important than females.In the deaf subgroup, females value higher security (t=2,01; p<0,05), power (t=2,99; p<0,005) and achievement (t=2,01; p<0,05) more than males do.An interesting way in which gender and hearing impairment influence the value system was also revealed.The relevant results are presented in the graphs below.The value of benevolence is significantly more important (F=10,4917; p<0,001) in the hearing subgroup for males than females (Figure 1).The pattern among the deaf subgroup goes in the opposite direction, although the difference is not significant.However, deaf female adolescents value benevolence much more than hearing females do.Deaf males consider power to be significantly less important than other subgroups (F=5,298; p<0,02) do.Deaf females value power at the same level as hearing people of both genders (Figure 2).An important difference which was not found in females, was observed between hearing and deaf males regarding the perception of achievement (F=6,858; p<0,01).Deaf males consider achievement less important than hearing males and also less important than both hearing and deaf females (Figure 3).Deaf females find achievement less important than hearing subgroups regardless of gender, but both subgroups of females (deaf and hearing) showed average results, which are significantly lower than hearing males and significantly higher than deaf males.A gender difference was also observed in relation to hedonism (F=4,3366; p<0,04).Hearing male adolescents valued hedonism more than hearing females.There is no difference between the genders in the deaf subgroup (Figure 4).
Another area studied was the influence of the variable such as functioning of the family over the value system in deaf adolescents.More in particular, the presence or absence of deaf/hard of hearing parents and the mode of communication used within the family.The relationship between these factors and the preference of particular values over others was generally insignificant, with the mode of communication within family being the only exception, which also has a significant (p<0.013)influence on the conformity (Figure 5).Користењето на знаковен јазик во составот на семејството подразбира значително ниво на согласност во споредба со луѓето кои комуницираат вербално (F=4,657; p<0,01).Разликата помеѓу луѓето кои ги користат и двете средства и оние кои комуницираат само вербално ја прикажува тенденцијата.
The use of signing language within the family implies significantly higher level of conformity in comparison with people who communicate verbally (F=4,657; p<0,01).The difference between people using both means and those who communicate only verbally illustrates the tendency.
Deaf adolescents value universalism highly, but deaf females value benevolence more than deaf males and hearing females.
Both values represent selftranscendence.This means that deaf adolescents are more concerned with self-transcendence than with self-enhancement.Values such as understanding, appreciation, tolerance and concern for the welfare of others are more important than personal achievement and power.This is true even for the deaf male subgroup, although as we have seen, enhancing the welfare of those whom one is frequently in често во контакт ("кругот на пријатели") е поважен за глувите женски адолесценти.contact with (the 'in-group') is more important for deaf females.Analysis of the data obtained from the survey revealed information about the variables that affect the orientation of values of Polish deaf/hard of hearing adolescents in comparison with their hearing peers.The variables such as gender and mode of communication within the family were controlled.

Заклучок Conclusion
A particular strength of the study was the discovery of some significant differences between deaf and hearing adolescents in the perception of value.Deaf adolescents considered values such as universalism, conformity, security and stimulation more important than their hearing peers did.Hearing adolescents prioritized power and achievement.The mode of communication used within the family was linked to conformity, which is traceable to the restrained actions, inclinations and impulses that are likely to upset or harm others and violate social expectations or norms.Adolescents coming from families using signing language value conformity more highly, which could mean that families who use a common mode of communication are more cohesive and stable.Weakness of the study was the restriction to deaf/hard of hearing group to students from residential schools.There were some significant results which seemed to suggest that the students may be influenced by their school environment, so the results might not apply to the whole deaf/hard of hearing population.This research revealed a significant impact of certain factors on the value system of the deaf/hard of hearing students.At the same time it raised questions that require further research.
Recommendations for further research include replication of this study and examination of a larger sample of deaf/hard of hearing adolescents that live in different social environments, not just in school settings.