Mainstreaming And The Academic Performance Of Hearing Impaired Learners In Central Zone, Kisumu Municipality, Kenya

ABSTRACT

This study was basically intended to evaluate the effect mainstreaming

on the academic performance of hearing impaired learners. This is done

by integrating learners with hearing impairment with the normal ones.

These learners should be given equal opportunities like the normal

ones, and should not be stigmatized, discriminated or intimidated in

any way by those handling them in the classrooms or the whole school

at large.

To investigate this researcher used descriptive survey and sample size

determination, which is based on a strong probability approach.

The researcher found out that the majority of people she interacted with

during the study, were very much positive about the mainstream

system especially the parents, some teachers and the learners. The

teachers who never backed this idea were those who had not gone for

the course of Special Needs Education and a few of those who had

attended the course, who felt that they were being intimidated by the

head teachers and zonal inspectors who were interested only in

attaining high standards.

It is also quite evident that most schools lacked facilities or resources

for the hearing impaired learners. Some of these learners also came

from very poor families, and for that matter, their parents could not afford to buy them hearing aids, to aid their learning