PE-Special Needs Education

School Factors Affecting the Implementation of Inclusive Education in Regular Primary Schools in Matungu Sub-County, Kenya.

2018-01-01T00:00:00Z

School Factors Affecting the Implementation of Inclusive Education in Regular Primary Schools in Matungu Sub-County, Kenya. Musumba, Redemptor Implementation of inclusive education has emerged as a very vital issue at regular primary schools in Kenya. Exclusion of learners with special needs in regular primary schools has been attributed to school factors that hinder such learners to access basic education. The purpose of this study was to establish the effects of differentiated curriculum on the implementation of inclusive education, to determine the effects of infrastructural facilities on the implementation of inclusive education, to establish the effects of teacher training on the implementation of inclusive education and to find the effects of free primary education on the implementation of inclusive education in regular primary schools in Matungu Sub County, Kenya. Descriptive survey research design was used. The study population comprised of 60 head teachers, 1000 teachers and 9 education officers in all regular public primary schools in Matungu Sub County. The study targeted all public primary schools in Matungu Sub County, simple random sampling and stratified sampling were used to select 9 education officers, 60 head teachers, 1000 teachers. Validity and reliability of the instrument were enhanced through pilot study and also through expert validation by supervisors in the department of special needs education. Questionnaires were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data on effects of selected factors on implementation of inclusive education. Data generated by questionnaires were analyzed by descriptive statistics using frequency distribution and valuable percentages. Qualitative data was transcribed and organized into themes, categories and sub categories as they emerged in the study. Presentation of data was through tables, pie charts and histograms. The findings of the study indicated that there was need to invest in inclusive education by developing structures and mechanism that would accommodate pupils regardless of their disability. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that: the Ministry of Education to come up with a separate and elaborate curriculum for inclusive education, the Government of Kenya to put in place adequate and appropriate physical and human resource to enhance the implementation of SNE, the MOEST to train more teachers in special needs education and institute in-service courses. The results of the study may assist head teachers, teachers, stakeholders and the Ministry of Education in the implementation of inclusive education in regular primary schools in Matungu Sub County. A PhD Thesis submitted to Maasai Mara University

Identification of Reading Disabilities and Teacher-Oriented Challenges in Teaching Reading to Standard Five Learners in Nyeri and Nairobi Districts, Kenya

2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

Identification of Reading Disabilities and Teacher-Oriented Challenges in Teaching Reading to Standard Five Learners in Nyeri and Nairobi Districts, Kenya Runo, Mary N. The study aimed at finding out whether teachers can identify the causes of reading disabilities in learners. It intended to establish whether teachers have adequate knowledge of identifying learners with reading disabilities, determine the proportion of non-readers in class five. It also investigated the existing methods and materials teachers use in teaching and remediating reading including the difficulties teachers encounter when teaching. Finally, the study aimed at finding out the correlation/relationship between gender and reading disabilities among learners. This study adopted both qualitative and quantitative research approaches where mixed method design was used for collecting and analyzing data for both teachers and learners. The study embarked on interviews for learners by use of structured interview schedule. Learners were also assessed to determine the level of reading ability. The study also used semi-structured questionnaires for teachers. A focus group interview was also held with teachers sampled for the study. The study was conducted in Central and Nairobi provinces where Nyeri and Nairobi districts respectively were used. Purposive sampling was used to select the provinces, districts, divisions, primary schools, populations and the target groups, in this case of the teachers and learners. This was based on KCPE results analysis for 2006. The division that performed best overall in Nairobi and the poorest performing division in Nairobi from KCPE results, 2006 were used as locations for the study. Nyeri District was representative of rural primary schools and therefore, the municipality and one rural division were selected. In this case Nyeri municipality division and Othaya division were selected. There were 4 schools sampled from each of the 4 divisions, giving a total of 16 schools from both Nairobi and Nyeri. In each school, 15 pupils were purposively selected from the list of those learners scoring 250 marks and below from their end of standard 5 examinations. Where learners were more than 15 scoring 250 marks and below, the researcher used random sampling. A total of 240 learners were sampled for the study. Eighteen teachers who taught English to class 5 learners in 2006 were selected for the study. Sixteen class teachers were also included in the study, making a total of 34 teachers. There were 5 types of instruments namely: questionnaires for teachers and learners, assessment tools for reading – word list A to E, passage 1 to 4; checklist on reading errors and learners’ reading attitude survey. There was also a focus group discussion with teachers in the study. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze quantitative data from the assessment tools, questionnaires for learners, and reading attitude survey. All the hypotheses were tested at p<0.05. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was used to measure the strength and direction of the relationship between different variables. Chi-square test was also used. Teachers’ questionnaire was analysed quantitatively. The results were obtained based on the objectives, questions and hypotheses of the study. It emerged that teachers assessed their learners reading ability but they did not use proper methods of assessment; teachers were able to identify children who could not read at class level as non-performers but were not able to identify the specific reading difficulties. Non-readers ranged from 0 to 27.1% for Nairobi and 0 to 53.6% in Nyeri districts respectively. Almost half of the teachers in the study neither taught reading nor did they know the methods to use in teaching reading. The study indicated that there were more boys (103) than girls (78) who could not read. The study concluded that teacher training syllabus on reading whether in mother tongue, Kiswahili or English be adequately developed to cater for individual learners and equip the teachers with methods for teaching reading proficiently. More time should be given to teaching reading, assessing reading and remediating reading disabilities both at the primary teacher education colleges and at primary schools; reading is an ongoing process and therefore it is recommended that reading should be taught as a subject throughout the primary levels (standard 1 to 8) but be within the developmental states of reading; reading readiness curriculum should be developed for early childhood and at primary levels. Such policy should ensure smooth transition of learners’ movement from home, preschool and primary schools. Finally, the study recommended that for adequate development of teacher training syllabus on reading in mother tongue, English or Kiswahili be given more time. A Research Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education of Kenyatta University, March 2010

Identification Process of Articulation and Phonemic Disorders in Children with Communication Disorders in Primary Schools, Nairobi Province, Kenya

2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

Identification Process of Articulation and Phonemic Disorders in Children with Communication Disorders in Primary Schools, Nairobi Province, Kenya Maneno, Robert J. Many children with speech and language disorders are silently affected academically and psychologically as they articulate words wrongly when they try to communicate verbally to their peers. Academically, they do not perform well since speech and language problems in most cases affect their reading and writing abilities. At times, they shy off as other children laugh at them. It is worth noting that, since the establishment of educational assessment centres in Kenya in September, 1984, many children with speech and language problems have been identified and placed in schools. Studies carried out in other, countries such as Finland, the United States, Canada, among others show that specific speech articulation problems have been identified and effective intervention procedures carried out in children with communication disorders. However, a study to identify speech sound disorders has never been done in Kenya. This prompted a study of this magnitude to identify speech sound disorders in children with speech and language disorders and ultimately recommend intervention measures. The research designs used were ex-post facto and ethnographic which were quantitative and qualitative. The population from which the study sample was drawn came from schoolgoing children in Nairobi Province aged between 6 to 13 years 11 months. The institutions included units, special schools, integrated special schools, and regular schools. The sample comprised children who had hearing impairments, mental handicap, stutterers, cerebral palsy and learning disabilities. The researcher in identifying the sample, used purposive sampling for piloting and for the actual study. From confirmed cases of 320 children with speech and language disorders, the researcher sampled 30% using purposive sampling. The actual sample came to 96 out of which 48 were females and the other 48 were males with ages ranging from 6 to 13 years 11 months. The data were collected using three different instruments namely: speech sound disorders assessment tool; speech mechanism observation tool and a home background information tool. When using the speech sound disorders assessment tool, the researcher listened to how the respondents pronounced targeted phonemes in the different names representing pictures displayed to them; while in speech mechanism observation instrument, the researcher looked at observable oral structures which if abnormal, would affect speech such as abnormalities as cleft palate or thick tongue. The background information tool was a questionnaire to find out the socio-economic status of the respondents, where the researcher was trying to find out whether the misarticulations were due to one being from a poor or rich family. Research questions and hypotheses were used for collecting and analyzing data. The collected data were qualitatively and quantitatively analysed. To achieve this, the data were crosstabulated. The results were analysed by use of pie charts, frequencies and tables. Anova was also used in testing the hypotheses. The study revealed that, the most highly ranked speech sound disorders were omissions, distortions and substitutions. The most highly omitted speech sound was phoneme /h/, with most respondents not able to pronounce the words "hoho" and "hema." /t/ as in thin was the most highly misarticulated phoneme of all 22 phonemes tested. Phonemes /r/, /s/, /z/ and /f/ were either highly substituted or distorted. Majority of children with communication disorders were those who had mentally handicapping conditions, hearing impairment and learning disabilities. The study found that children with communication disorders were also known as speech and language disorders found in all communities regardless of socio-economic status A PhD Thesis Submitted to the School of Education, Kenyatta University

Determinants of Primary School Wastage for Learners with Disabilities in Coast Province, Kenya: Towards A Theoretical Prevention Model

2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Determinants of Primary School Wastage for Learners with Disabilities in Coast Province, Kenya: Towards A Theoretical Prevention Model Mazrui, Lubna Munir This mixed methods study investigated the determinants of primary school wastage for learners with disabilities in the Coast province of Kenya. The study sought to: establish patterns of grade repetition and dropout, investigate determinants of wastage, establish the impact of wastage on learners and dropouts, and develop a model on how wastage can be reduced and educational access and achievement enhanced. The study participants were primary school learners with disabilities in special schools and units/integrated programmes in regular schools, school dropouts, adults with disabilities who were former learners of special schools and units/integrated programmes, parents of repeaters and dropouts, and primary school teachers. Participants were sampled through purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Research data was collected through documentary analysis, interviews and Focused Group Discussions. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and discourse analysis. Study findings revealed that repetition and dropout of learners with disabilities was not frequent, and that wastage affected boys and learners with hearing impairments most. Findings also revealed that the wastage of learners with disabilities resulted from economic, socio-cultural and other factors which were neither economic nor socio-cultural. Findings further revealed that wastage has a negative impact on learners and dropouts with disabilities, and that this impact can be decreased by employing various measures for preventing wastage. The implications of these findings are discussed. A model for preventing wastage and improving the educational achievement and academic success of learners with disabilities, based on the findings of this and previous studies, is also proposed. This model consists of several measures to be implemented at the community and school levels. A Thesis Submitted In Fulfillment for the Award of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Education, Department of Special Needs Education, Kenyatta University, September 2014