INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF LEARNERS WITH EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIOURAL DISORDERS IN NANDI CENTRAL SUB-COUNTY, KENYA

Caroline Chemaiyo, Margaret Murugami, Nelly Otube

Abstract


Some researchers argue that the most difficult learners to teach are those with emotional behaviour disorders. This is mainly due to the heterogeneous nature of this disability. Despite this, there exist appropriate research-based strategies to teach such learners. The main aim of this research was to investigate the strategies used to teach learners with EBD in the Nandi central sub-county and as well the challenges faced by teachers as they do so. Public schools should provide programs that enhance the educational and academic progress of both typically developing learners and those with EBD. Every child is entitled to free, appropriate education regardless of their disabilities. Academic performance of pupils with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBDs) in Kenya has been continuously dismal in both internal and external examinations. They commonly drop out of school prematurely and are more likely to be imprisoned at some point in their lifetime. This is because teachers use the same old strategies over and over again. This was mixed-method research that adopted a descriptive research design. The study was guided by Jean Piaget's constructivism theory (1995). According to Piaget, learners construct knowledge through experiences and interactions and not passively through receiving information. Constructivism motivates students to take an active role in their education. This is through relating new concepts to their own life experiences. It advocates for learner-centric approaches. The main tools of data collection in this research were questionnaires and in-depth interviews with both teachers and administrators. The findings indicated that teachers were not using EBD-friendly teaching and classroom management strategies. There was no appropriate use of multidisciplinary and collaboration team approaches either. There were also major deficits in resources and teaching and support personnel. The majority of teachers and administrators were not appropriately trained to teach learners with EBD. It was recommended that the government should fund the schools more and organise in-service professional development sessions.

 

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autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, reading comprehension, differentiated pedagogical material

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejse.v11i1.5810

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