Hidden Barriers in Inclusive Classrooms: Teachers' Perceptions and Students' Experiences of Participation With Hearing Loss.

PURPOSE: This study examined how general education teachers perceive the school participation of students with hearing loss in mainstream classrooms and which factors they identify as facilitating or hindering participation. A second aim was to compare teachers' perspectives with students' own accounts to identify convergences and divergences in perceived participation, thereby revealing hidden barriers and informing inclusive practice. METHOD: A qualitative, descriptive design was employed to capture in-depth insights into participants' lived experiences. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 25 general education teachers (21 women, four men) from 19 mainstream schools in Germany. Teachers' perspectives were analyzed using thematic analysis and systematically compared with previously collected qualitative data from students with hearing loss. RESULTS: Teachers generally reported positive attitudes toward inclusion and emphasized supportive relationship and strategies such as clear communication and classroom adaptions. However, they often underestimated the cognitive, emotional, and social effort required for students' full participation. While students confirmed the importance of teacher and peer support, they highlighted listening fatigue, inconsistent implementation of adaptions, and selective or constrained use of assistive devices as persistent challenges. Divergences emerged in interpretations of autonomy, device management, and the sufficiency of classroom adaptions, revealing gaps between perceived and experienced participation. CONCLUSIONS: Inclusive participation for students with hearing loss requires more than technical and structural accommodations. Teachers' awareness of the hidden cognitive and emotional demands associated with listening and participation is essential. These findings underscore the need for targeted professional development and a nuanced understanding of students' lived experiences to foster equitable access, social belonging, and meaningful inclusion in mainstream classrooms. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.33639619.