Abstract:
This research in an attempt to determine the effective role of both parental treatment styles and peer relations in the classroom and the interaction between them on deaf children's loneliness.
The sample has consisted of 415 deaf children in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and
seventh grades, and ranging in age from 8.5 to 13.2 years old in six elementary
schools for the deaf children in Egyptian.
The used instruments in this study were: The Sociometric Peer Nomination Rating Scale (developed by the researcher); The Parental Promotion of Peer Relations Inventory (Mounts, 2000, modification by the researcher); The Parental Acceptance, Neglection, Rejection questionnaire (PANRQ, developed by the researcher); The Parental Strictness, Indulgence Questionnaire (PSIQ, developed by the researcher); and The Deaf Children's Loneliness Scale (DCLS, developed by the researcher).
The results indicated that:
1- There is no significant statistical difference in the mean scores of loneliness between the deaf boys and girls children (206, 172) = 0.27, P > 0.05.
2- The deaf children reported higher levels of loneliness than the hearing children [t (132, 179) = 3.04, p < 0.01]..
3- Loneliness is negatively correlated with parental promotion of peer relations (r = 0.64).
4- A one-way (peer relations) analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that there are statistical significant differences in deaf children’s loneliness mean scores according to the three types of peer relations in classroom [F (2, 285) = 17.20, p < 0.001].
5- The deaf children with strict parents reported more lonely than deaf children with indulgent parents [t (80, 73) = 2.68, p < 0.01].
6- A one way (parental acceptance, neglection, rejection) analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that that statistical significant differences ware found among the deaf children’s loneliness scores within the three groups, [F (2, 285) = 21.77, p < 0.001].
7- There is statistical significant interaction between parental treatment styles, indulgence, strictness; and peer relations in classroom high, average, and low acceptance on the feelings of loneliness among deaf children [F (2, 132) = 3.29, p < 0.05].
8- There is statistical significant interaction between parental treatment styles acceptance, neglection, rejection; and peer relations in classroom high, average, and low acceptance on the feelings of loneliness among deaf children [F (4, 279) = 2.92, p < 0.05].