Influence of guidance and counselling on academic performance of visually impaired children in Chogoria/ Murugi Zone Maara District Kenya
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Date
2009-11
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Kampala International University;College of Open and Distance Learning Education
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of guidance and counseling on academic performance of visually impaired children in Chogoria/ Murugi Zone in Maara District Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to; identify the causes of visual impairment Children in Chogoria/ Murugi Zone in Maara District Kenya, , Identify the methods of counseling that are effective on visually impaired children and investigate the impact of guidance and counseling on academic performance of learners with visual impairment Children. The methods used for data collection were questionnaires to the teachers, interviews with the parents and focus group discussions with the pupils. The study revealed by 60% that learners with visual impairment sought guidance and counseling services. However the respondents complained that most schools do not have qualified counselors to handle visually impaired learners. The most common mentioned cause of visual impairment was hereditary reasons which were mentioned by 90% of the respondents. Group counseling was mentioned by 84%, 76% mentioned individual counseling, 72% mentioned motivation, 64% mentioned parent and child counseling and 56% mentioned behavior counseling. The study also revealed by 52% of the respondents that guidance and counseling has improved the academic performance of visually impaired. The study recommended that; Counselors who specifically look at cases of visually impaired learners should be trained and made available in schools to help visually impaired children. The Ministry of Education to beef up more aggressive awareness campaigns among various stakeholders concerning the negative attitudes towards the visually impaired. The Ministry to empower all the teachers in the country with appropriate professional skills on how to cater for the visually impaired learners.
Description
A research report submitted to the Institute of Open and Distance Learning in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Award of Bachelor of Education in Special Needs of Kampala International University
Keywords
Influence of guidance and counselling, Academic performance, Visually impaired children, Maara District, Kenya