Environmental Influences On English Language Acquisition Among Class Five Learners With Hearing Impairments In Nairobi County, Kenya

The study looked at Environmental Influences on English language acquisition among class five learners with hearing impairments in Nairobi County, Kenya. Majority of learners with hearing impairments in Kenya seem to leave school without having attained adequate literacy levels deemed desirable for successful transition in the afterlife of school. Factors such as inadequate resources in schools, poor teaching methodology and poor parental support are some of the factors that make learners with hearing impairments have poor acquisition of English language. The study was guided by four objectives which included:i) to investigate the teaching methodologies used in teaching English language for learners with hearing impairments, ii) to explore the learning resources that aid English language acquisition for learners with hearing impairments, iii) to examine the level of English language acquisition for the learners with hearing impairments and iv) to explore the parental support that aid English language acquisition for learners with hearing impairments. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed in the study. Purposeful sampling was used to select the special units to carry out the research. It was also used to sample the teachers who taught the learners with hearing impairments, learners and also their parents. Closed ended questionnaries were used to solicit information from the teachers while focus group discusion guide was used to conduct a focused group discussion with parents of learners with hearing impairments. A teacher informal test was used to assess the level of English language acquisition for the learners with hearing impairments.