Teachers’ attitude and academic performance of learners with mental retardation in Kandara division Maragwa district Kenya
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Date
2008-08
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Kampala International University. College of Education, Open and Distance Learning
Abstract
The topic of this study was ‘Teacher’s attitude and academic performance of learners with mental retardation in Kandara Division, Maragwa District. The study was carried out guided by four objectives namely; determining the profile of the respondents, determining the level of teachers’ attitudes, determining the level of academic performance of students and determining if there is any significant relationship between teachers attitude and academic performance.
In the methodology, the study relied on primary source of data, the questionnaire. The study was based on the theory of Damodar Mohapatra of inclusion. Teachers from regular Primary schools and units were involved as respondents. Thirty teachers responded to the questionnaires. Simple random sampling procedure was used to select the schools and the teachers.
The researcher used questionnaires as data collection tools since all the respondents were literate. The respondents revealed negative attitudes towards learners with mental retardation and they said they face various challenges including lack of curriculum guidelines, lack of teaching aids, and, lack of training in special needs Education. These challenges were found to bring about poor academic performance of learners. The researcher concluded the study by stating that there is a significant relationship between teacher attitudes and academic performance of learners with mental retardation, their poor performance stem from a combination of factors beyond their comprehension including negative attitudes, inadequate resources among others. The study recommended that, the issue of curriculum inadequacy should be addressed, curriculum adaptation and review should be done and schools should be provided with educational resources. The researcher also advocated for further research on the best approaches for learners with mental retardation.
Description
A research report submitted to the Institute of Open and Distance learning of Kampala International University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Bachelors Degree of Education in Special Needs Education
Keywords
Teachers' attitude, Academic Performance, Mental retardation