Teachers’ Perception Of Transition Preparedness By Learners With Physical Disabilities Towards Employment: Joytown, Joyland And Mombasa Special Secondary Schools, Kenya

ABSTRACT

The study examined factors influencing teachers’ perception on transition preparedness for learners with physical disabilities (PD) towards employment: Joytown, Joyland and Mombasa Special Secondary Schools for physically handicapped in Kenya. The study was carried out in Joytown Secondary School in Thika West, Kiambu County, and Mombasa Secondary in Mombasa County and Joyland Secondary School in Kisumu County. Descriptive survey research design was used to establish teachers’ competency, learners with PD views on pre-vocational activities, teachers’ opinion on policies and legislations implemented for persons with disabilities and challenges learners with PD encountered .The study adopted both quantitative and qualitative research designs where mixed method was employed in data collection and analysis. Purposive sampling was used to select the three physically handicapped Special Secondary Schools, which were the earliest to be established by missionaries in Kenya. The piloting of the instruments was conducted in Joytown special school to form three learners and all teachers teaching form one and form three who were not included in the main study. The researcher targeted 540 teachers, 30 administrators and 830 learners with physical disabilities in which 10 percent was drawn to give sample size of54 teachers, 83 learners with physical disabilities and 3 administrators from the three selected schools. The administrators were interviewed while the teachers and learners filled the questionnaires .Self-efficacy theory is a concept derived from theories of social learning developed by Albert Bandura, which was used to interpret dynamics for teachers’ perception in relation to preparedness of learners. Quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and results presented using tables, frequencies, and percentages while Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis System (CAQDAS) was used to analyze interview schedule, correlated of the results using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient formula (r) of 0.8 was considered appropriate judgment of the reliability of the research tools. The importance of this study, prompted the teachers in special schools to develop positive perception in learners transition preparedness towards employment, improved teaching strategies, the importance of learning resources and pre-vocational activities, and established solutions to the problems learners with PD encountered. The researcher recommended that Teacher Service Commission (TSC) advise Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to revise curricula for learners with special needs education. They include: lesson time allocation, mode of assessment and subject matter to include activities of transition, propagation of job evaluation and matching skills to actively ensure empowerment of learner’s abilities in planning for post-secondary goals achievement such as gainful employment which has a futuristic relevance, widens the scope of individual economic activities, and reduces the burden of dependency on others.