Effectiveness of integration strategies on academic performance of learners with hearing impairment in Public Primary schools in Turkana County, Kenya

Abstract

The Ministry of Education's integration policy aimed at placing learners with hearing impairments in regular schools to foster academic and communication skills, and academic performance. Turkana County remains behind due to insufficient teacher training, lack of specialized resources, and ineffective teaching strategies, leading to a widening achievement gap between these learners and their hearing peers. The study purpose was to assess the integration strategies and their effectiveness on the academic performance of learners with hearing impairment in public primary schools in Turkana County, Kenya. The following objectives guided the study: to evaluate the academic performance of learners with hearing impairments in an integrated setting in public primary schools, to assess the influence of different teaching strategies on the academic performance of learners with hearing impairments in public primary schools, to establish the effects of teaching and learning resources appropriate for effective integration on the academic performance of learners with hearing impairments in public primary schools and to determine the instructional strategies used to teach learners with hearing impairments in an integrated setting in public primary schools. The study was guided by labelling theory and Gross Theory to comprehensively understand the learners with hearing impairments in an integrated educational setting by incorporating both social-psychological and sociological perspectives. The pragmatism paradigm guided the study. The convergent mixed method design was adopted in the study as the researcher merged both the qualitative and quantitative data. The target population was 24 Headteachers, 50 trained teachers of SNE, 24 members of the school BOM, and 2 Special Needs Educational Curriculum Support Officers. The study employed a systematic purposive sampling technique to select the sample for the study. The study used questionnaires to collect quantitative data and interview schedules for qualitative data. The descriptive statistical techniques of frequency, mean, and standard deviation were used to analyze the quantitative data. The inferential statistics of multiple regression analysis were used to analyze data. Qualitative data using thematic analysis. Study findings revealed that there was a significant difference in teaching strategies on the academic performance of learners with hearing impairment (β1=.260, p=.017). There was a statistically significant effect of teaching and learning resources on the academic performance of learners with hearing impairment (β2=.208, p=.041). Instructional strategies positively affect the academic performance of learners with hearing impairment (β3=.229, p=.031). The study findings from interviews revealed that effective use of hearing aids, diverse communication methods, and a supportive interactive environment significantly enhance comprehension, participation, and overall academic performance for students with hearing impairments. The study concludes that effective integration strategies, including supportive measures, diverse teaching methods, appropriate resources, and tailored instructional approaches, significantly enhance the academic performance of learners with hearing impairment in public primary schools in Turkana County, Kenya. The study recommended that primary schools should create a supportive and interactive classroom environment with accessible resources, diversify teaching strategies, and ensure fair assessments with regular feedback to enhance the learning experience for students with hearing impairments.