Determinants of academic perfomance of learners in selected inclusive public primary schools for physical Disabilities in Western Kenya

Abstract

The government of Kenya has been committed to provision of relevant and quality education for all its citizenry including children with disabilities. Despite these relentless efforts, poor academic performance has consistently been registered in inclusive schools with higher population of those with physical disabilities, thus necessitating the need to explore pupil’s characteristics, teacher characteristics and nature of the school environment as determinants of pupils’ academic performance in these inclusive primary schools. The objectives of this study were: To compare the academic performance of the pupils in selected primary schools in Western Kenya, to determine the influence of teacher characteristics, learner characteristics and physical facilities on academic performance in those schools. To achieve its objectives, the study employed a convergent parallel mixed method design in five inclusive schools for pupils with physical disabilities. The target population was 70 teachers and 1,405 pupils in the selected inclusive schools. Data was generated from among 65 teachers and 125 learners of which 73 were regular pupils and 52 were pupils with physical disability. Data was collected through questionnaires and observation schedules and analysed using percentages, means, standard deviation and chi square. The findings of the study revealed low academic performance in inclusive schools, with regular learners scoring a mean of 208 marks out of 500 marks, and learners with physical disabilities with 158 marks out of 500 marks. The low academic performance was attributed to inadequate physical facilities, teachers’ ambivalent confidence level and attitude towards inclusion and the low satisfaction by pupils with physical disability. It was also noted that physical facilities in the inclusive schools were inadequate hence negatively influencing academic performance of learners with disability. Further, teacher characteristics and learner characteristics influenced academic performance of learners in inclusive primary schools for the pupils with physical disability. The study therefore recommends there is need for stability of the bioecological system in order to achieve academic goals, inclusive school physical facilities should be adequately provided and those present should be regularly renovated and maintained especially those that are used by pupils with disabilities to ensure that they have a conducive learning environment. Also, the teachers deployed in inclusive schools should be properly sensitized so that they can develop a clear understanding of dispositions of inclusive settings.