Abstract:
Biology is a compulsory subject for students seeking admission into many science-related courses in Nigeria higher institutions. However, reports have shown that students’ learning outcomes in biology at both internal and external examinations are poor, particularly among students with hearing impairment in Oyo State, Nigeria. Extant literature largely concentrated on enhancing regular students’ performance in Biology through survey and interventions, neglecting students with hearing impairment. This study was, therefore, carried out to investigate personal factors (onset of hearing loss, degree of hearing loss, self efficacy and learning styles), instructional supports (human support and technical support), ICT use and biology learning outcomes (performance in and attitude towards biology) of students with hearing impairment in Oyo State, Nigeria.
The Constructivist and Social Learning theories were adopted as the framework, while the survey design of correlational type was used. Seven secondary schools having students with hearing impairment were purposively selected. The schools comprised two private and five public schools. Two hundred and twenty-four Senior School II students were enumerated - 191 from public and 33 from private schools, respectively. The instruments used were Audiology and Audiometric Report, Grasha-Riechmann Learning Style (r=0.85) and Self-Efficacy Formative (r=0.78) questionnaires, Biology Performance Test (r=0.77), Attitude towards Biology Scale (r=0.91), Inventories on Instructional Supports (r=0.77) and ICT use (r=0.88). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation and Multiple regression at 0.05 level of significance.
The respondents’ age was 16.30 ± 1.50 years; 55.8% experienced onset of hearing loss after birth and 65.2% had profound degree of hearing loss. The participants’ self-efficacy was high (3.12) as against the threshold of 2.50, while their learning styles were slightly high: visual (2.92) and kinaesthetic (2.79) against the test norm of 2.50. Sign language interpreters, note-takers, science laboratories, CD-ROM, control software, multimedia, computer and video tape player were available and utilised as instructional support tools. However, lip-readers, communication support workers, radio microphone system, induction loop, digital recorders, turtle graphics, overhead projector and PowerPoint were not utilised. There was a significant positive relationship between self-efficacy (r=0.46), learning style (r=0.58), ICT use (r=0.38) and students’ performance in biology, while instructional supports and onset of hearing loss were not significant. There was a significant positive relationship between students’ self-efficacy (r=0.49), learning style (r=0.58), ICT use (r=0.80) and students attitude towards biology, while instructional supports and onset of hearing loss were not. There was a significant joint contribution of the independent variables (onset of hearing loss, degree of hearing loss, self-efficacy, learning style, human support, technical support and ICT use) to performance (F(5188)=23.32; Adj.R2= 0.37), accounting for 37.0% of its variance. There was a significant joint contribution of independent variables to attitude (F(5188)=128.35; Adj.R2=0.77), accounting for 77.0% of its variance. Learning styles (β=0.43), self-efficacy (β=0.16), and ICT use (β=0.13) contributed to performance in biology but did not to attitude.
Learning style, self-efficacy and ICT use enhanced biology learning outcomes of students with hearing impairment in Oyo State, Nigeria. Teachers should take cognisance of these factors during the teaching and learning process.
