Influence of Guidance and Counselling On Academic Performance of Visually Impaired Children in Rugaeama Sub County Ntungamo District~ Uganda

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to investigate the Influence of Guidance and Counseling on Academic Performance of Visually J~mpaired Children in Rugarama Sub county Ntungamo District Uganda . The specific objectives of the study were to; identify the causes of visual impairment Children in Rugarama Sub County, Ntungamo District Western Uganda, 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.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION

APPROVAL U

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGMENT iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS v

LIST OF TABLES Viii

LIST OF FIGURES ix

ABSTRACT X

CHAPTER ONE 1

1.0 Introduction 1

1.1 Background ofthe Study 1

1.2 Statement of the Problem 2

1.3. Objectives ofthe Study 2

1.2.1 Specific objectives 2

1.4 Research questions 3

1.5 Significance of the Study 3

1.6. Scope of the Study 3

CHAPTER TWO 5

LITERATURE REVIEW 5

2.0 Introduction s

2.1. Conceptual frame work 5

2.2. Causes of visual impairment Children 5

2.3. Effective methods of guidance and counseling on the visually impaired 8

2.4. Impact of guidance and counseling on the performance of visually impaired 10

v

CHAPTER THREE .13

M~THODOLOGY.l3

3.0. Introduction 13

3.1 Research Design 13

3.2 Environment 13

3.3 Respondents and sample selection 13

3.4 Instruments of Data Collection 13

3.5. Reliability of the instruments 14

3.6. Data Collection Procedures 14

3.7. Statistical Treatments of Data 14

3.7. Limitations o fthe Study 15

CHAPTER FOUR 16

DATA PRESENTATION ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 16

4.0 Introduction 16

4.1. Profile of the respondents 16

4.2. Causes of visual impairment Children 17

4.3. Methods of counseling that are effective on the visually impaired learners 19

4.4. Impact of Guidance and Counseling on Performance of Visually Impaired 20

CHAPTER FIVE 30

DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 30

5.0. overview 30

5.1. Discussions 30

5.2. Conclusion 32

5.3. Recommendations 32

5.4. Suggestions for further research 33

REFERENCES 34

APPENDIX A: TRANSMITTAL LETTER Error! Bookmark not defined,

APPENDIX B: QUESTIONNAIRE TO THE TEACHERS 37