Academic Challenges Faced by Preschool Learners with Hearing Impairment in Early Childhood Development and Education Centres in Kakamega County, Kenya

References

[1] United Nations, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. New York: United Nations, 2007.

[2] D. L. Tucci, M. H. Merson and B. S. Wilson, “Global hearing impairment: Current status and future directions,” The Lancet, vol. 397, no. 10278, pp. 996–1009, 2021.

[3] S. Chadha, K. Kamenov and A. Cieza, “The global cost of unaddressed hearing loss and cost- effectiveness of interventions,” Bulletin of the World Health Organization, vol. 99, no. 4, pp. 250–260, 2021.

[4] C. Yoshinaga-Itano, “Early identification and intervention for children with hearing impairment,” Volta Review, vol. 100, no. 5, pp. 29–46, 1998.

[5] Q. Liu, Y. Wang and X. Chen, “Learning outcomes of children with hearing impairment in early childhood education,” International Journal of Educational Development, vol. 82, pp. 102– 115, 2021.

[6] E. Levesque, “Inclusive early childhood education for children with hearing impairment,” International Journal of Inclusive Education, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 215–230, 2024.

[7] T. Mululeke, S. Khoza and M. Sebola, “Challenges facing learners with hearing impairment in early childhood education,” African Journal of Disability, vol. 10, pp. 1–8, 2021.

[8] Republic of Kenya, The Children Act No. 29 of 2022. Nairobi: Government Printer, 2022.

[9] P. O. Odoyo and J. Okutoyi, “Educational experiences of learners with hearing impairment in Kenya,” African Journal of Special Education, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 80–92, 2020.

[10] J. B. Tomblin and J. Oleson, “Language development in children with hearing impairment,” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, vol. 63, no. 3, pp. 800–812, 2020.

[11] L. M. Karanja, Special Needs Education in Early Childhood Development and Education. Nairobi: Longhorn Publishers, 2022.

[12] L. S. Vygotsky, Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1978.

[13] U. Bronfenbrenner, The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1979.

[14] O. Degtiareva and N. Zhdanova, “Educational support for preschool learners with hearing impairment,” European Journal of Special Education Research, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 70–82, 2023.

[15] J. Omondi, “Inclusion of learners with hearing impairment in Kenyan ECDE centres,” Journal of Inclusive Education, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 65–78, 2021.

[16] D. Adeyemo, R. Adebisi and S. Oladipo, “Educational inclusion of children with hearing impairment in early childhood education,” African Journal of Special and Inclusive Education, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 60–72, 2020.

[17] K. Jasmin, M. Anderson and L. Smith, “Literacy development among preschool children with hearing impairment,” Early Childhood Research Quarterly, vol. 59, pp. 112–121, 2022.

[18] T. Y. C. Ching, H. Dillon and G. Leigh, “Early intervention and outcomes for children with hearing impairment,” Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 240–255, 2022.

[19] R. Gunyaguata, J. Waweru and M. Njoroge, “Educational outcomes among learners with hearing impairment in Kenya,” African Journal of Disability, vol. 12, pp. 1–9, 2023.

[20] L. Wambua, P. Njoroge and M. Mutiso, “Learning resources and academic achievement among learners with hearing impairment,” International Journal of Special Education, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 77–89, 2021.

[21] P. Akmeşe, “Early intervention practices for children with hearing impairment,” European Journal of Special Education Research, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 55–70, 2024.

[22] H. Aldemir, “Inclusive classroom strategies for children with hearing impairment,” Journal of Special Education Studies, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 90– 105, 2023.

[23] UNESCO, Global Education Monitoring Report: Inclusive Education. Paris: UNESCO, 2023.

[24] J. A. Orodho, Essentials of Educational and Social Science Research Methods. Nairobi: Masola Publishers, 2003.

[25] U. Sekaran, Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach, 4th ed. New York: Wiley, 2003.

[26] O. M. Mugenda and A. G. Mugenda, Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches. Nairobi: African Centre for Technology Studies, 2003.

@article{1720175,
      author = {Khabendi Philis Musindayi, Christine Nabwire, Janet Nabiswa},
      title = {Academic Challenges Faced by Preschool Learners with Hearing Impairment in Early Childhood Development and Education Centres in Kakamega County, Kenya},
      journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
      year = {2026},
      volume = {10},
      number = {1},
      pages = {3246-3256},
      issn = {2456-8880},
      url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1720175.pdf},
      abstract = {Hearing impairment in early childhood disrupts speech, language and learning during the years in which foundational literacy and numeracy are established. Although Kenya has ratified international disability instruments and enacted supportive domestic legislation, empirical evidence on how hearing impairment constrains learning at the preschool level remains scarce, with most local research concentrated on primary and secondary school populations. This paper examines the academic challenges faced by preschool learners with hearing impairment in Early Childhood Development and Education centres in Kakamega County, Kenya. A cross-sectional survey design employing a mixed methods approach was adopted. Quantitative data were obtained from nine Early Childhood Development and Education teachers drawn from six special schools for the hearing impaired using a structured questionnaire, and were analysed descriptively using frequencies and percentages. Qualitative data were obtained through interviews with heads of institutions and focus group discussions with parents and guardians, and were analysed thematically. The study achieved a response rate of one hundred percent. All respondents agreed that communication barriers, limited vocabulary development, inadequate parental support, the shortage of teachers trained in Special Needs Education and social interaction difficulties adversely affect academic performance. Shortage of trained teachers and social interaction difficulties each attracted unanimous strong agreement, and none of the participating teachers held formal training in Special Needs Education. Qualitative evidence identified communication barriers as the dominant constraint, operating simultaneously in the classroom and in the home where parental proficiency in Kenyan Sign Language was limited. The study concludes that the academic challenges confronting these learners are interconnected rather than discrete, and recommends sustained teacher training in Kenyan Sign Language and inclusive pedagogy, structured parental sign language support, and strengthened home-school collaboration.},
      keywords = {Academic Challenges, Early Childhood Development and Education, Hearing Impairment, Kenyan Sign Language, Preschool Learners.},
      month = {July},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I1-1720175}
  }