Students' and teachers' opinions on the support services received by students with hearing loss who are attaining vocational high school in an inclusive environment

This study aims to identify the types of Educational Support Services (ESS) received by students with hearing-impaired in inclusive vocational high schools settings, examine the strengths and challenges in their educational processes, and propose solutions to existing issues. This study conducted as a qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were carried out with high school students and their teachers. The research data included student and teacher participant information forms, semi-structured interview forms, audio recordings, and the researcher's journal. These were analyzed using the inductive analysis method. The findings reveal ongoing challenges in ESS provided to students with hearing impaired particularly in supporting academic development, preparing suitable Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), conducting evaluations, and ensuring grade progression. ESS in workshops and laboratories were often limited to the individual efforts of teachers, with special needs sometimes overlooked during vocational field placements. These issues negatively impacted ESS for vocational courses, and uncertainty was noted regarding the required academic and physical adaptations in workshop and laboratory settings. While most teachers expressed positive attitudes toward inclusion, some viewed ESS as an additional responsibility or burden. Teachers also reported feeling inadequate in delivering ESS to students and found both the ESS provided to them and the collaborative efforts within the process to be insufficient. This study is anticipated to contribute significantly to the development and implementation of effective educational support services in vocational high schools.