ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF DEAF STUDENTS IN WEST AFRICAN SECONDARY SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION: PERCEPTION OF TEACHERS AND STUDENTS AT ST. JOHN’S INTEGRATED SENIOR HIGH/TECHNICAL SCHOOL FO

ABSTRACT 

This study investigated the perception of both teachers and students on the factors contributing to hearing impaired students’ poor academic performance in St. John’s Integrated Senior High/Technical School for the Deaf, Navrongo, Ghana. The descriptive survey research design was adopted and purposive and convenience sampling techniques used to select a sample size of 92 for the study. A self-structured questionnaire and semi-structured interview guides were used for data collection. The data analysis was done using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation) with the aid of Version 20 of Statistical Package for Social Sciences   (SPSS). The study revealed that teacher related factors (M=3.07, SD=1.30) predominantly affected students’ academic performance more than student related factors (M=3.04, SD=1.39) and students related factors (M=3.03, SD=1.38). The study also discovered that classroom seating arrangement (M=3.42, SD=1.29), sign language (M=3.22, SD=1.22), use of assistive listening devices (M=3.18, SD=1.34), making of visuals of lessons (M=3.09, SD=1.43) and speech reading (M=3.02, SD=1.49) were the major strategies adopted in teaching students with hearing impairment with the least being use of verbal communication (M=2.28, SD=1.44). Furthermore, it was revealed that lack of materials to assist students learning (M=3.43, SD=1.29), inadequate number of sign language interpreters (M=3.39, SD=1.41), lack of sign language teaching aids such as, sign language reference book (M=3.36, SD=1.27), high teaching load (M=3.35, SD=1.37), and gross inadequate teaching-learning materials and other learning aids (M=3.10, SD=1.36), were the major challenges confronting teaching and learning among hearing impaired students. Therefore, it is recommended among others that the Ghana Education Service through the Navrongo education Directorate should ensure that the school has the needed teachers required to enhance effective teaching and learning. Finally, school authorities should liaise with stakeholders such as the government, District Assemblies, and individuals to provide an adequate physical resources such as furniture, libraries, and laboratories to the schools to ensure effective teaching and learning and enhance academic performance of the students.