Principle Investigator: Dr. Natalia Rohatyn-Martin

Funded by SSHRC Insight Grant 2025

Phase 2 of our research program is conducting a cross-North America pilot test of the FEC (Fatigue in Educational Contexts) survey.

We aim to recruit a large group of student participants from this unique population to ensure inclusivity, validity and reliability of the measure. Our objectives include evaluating the FEC survey's effectiveness, refining it based on feedback, and establishing its validity and reliability across diverse educational contexts.

Our comprehensive three-year plan employs a four-stage testing process. This structured plan ensures thorough research, North American validation, and broad knowledge dissemination, benefiting the DHH community and broader educational and academic communities. This research addresses a critical knowledge gap regarding fatigue in DHH students with potential far-reaching benefits across education. It embodies principles of inclusivity, empowerment and knowledge sharing, ultimately contributing to a more equitable society.

The newly developed Fatigue in Educational Contexts (FEC) survey aims to accurately identify, describe, and interpret the presence and intensity of fatigue in educational environments and to inform alleviation approaches. 

Currently, there are no measures of fatigue that are representative of the diversity of the population of deaf students (spoken language users, sign language users, and/or dual language users) or that include accessibility considerations for test administration. Thus, the FEC survey is ground-breaking and innovative as an inclusive measure designed to fill this gap in two key areas: content and access. 

1.     Survey content. The FEC was created by interviewing deaf and hearing individuals with expertise and experience in spoken language and/or sign language environments: deaf post-secondary students, parents of deaf students, professionals in the field (i.e., educational audiologists, speech language pathologists and Teachers of the Deaf, and Deaf Education academics) on important fatigue factors in school and social contexts. 

2.     Survey access. The FEC was designed with inclusivity at the forefront. The survey can be administered in written English, American Sign Language, or spoken English, offering multi-modal presentation format flexibility.

The differences in children’s access to play and learning materials can significantly affect educational achievement, exacerbating gaps between children in families of low- and higher-income groups. Research indicates that low-income families generally lack the disposable income to afford toys and materials designed to engage children in learning through play, creating long-lasting educational implications.

One promising solution is family engagement in loose parts play (LPP), which is inexpensive, easily accessible, and promisingly effective for early learning. LPP is defined as children’s engagement with open-ended and interactive materials (e.g., acorns, pipes, tires) used all at once and is widely claimed to be a foundation for developing creativity, divergent thinking, and problem-solving. Yet, despite widespread recommendations, empirical research on children’s engagement in and benefits from LPP is lacking. Our research addresses this omission by observing 75 3- to 5-year-old children/parent dyads engaged in indoor LPP. 

Our goal is to provide a means for deaf and hard of hearing students and their educational team to understand the impact of fatigue, to advocate for appropriate supports (strategies and programs) and to moderate fatigue in educational contexts. The first phase of this research program is designing the Fatigue in Educational Contexts (FEC) survey. The purpose of the survey is to accurately identify, describe, and interpret the presence and intensity of fatigue, and inform alleviation approaches. 

This research project is funded by SSHRC. Fatigue Infographic

Loose Parts Play (LPP) is defined as children's play with open-ended, natural, or manufactured materials (e.g., cardboard, sticks, pipes, sand, beads) not originally intended for play. Ninety percent of young children's indoor play involves toys and materials, and loose parts can offer an infinite array of ideas and be limitlessly manipulated. This activity can be complex and categorized in many ways (e.g.,

cooperative, pretend, constructive, exploratory, parallel play. LPP is unique because children can simultaneously combine different play types and various materials. The study exp[lored 3- to 5-year-old children's indoor LPP behaviours. The goal to document crucial relationships between LPP and children's cognitive development while considering key social determinants such as gender, socioeconomic status (SES), and maternal education. This research project is funded by MacEwan University.