Date of Award

12-2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Master of Education (MEd)

First Supervisor/Advisor

Joachim Tamba

Second Supervisor/Advisor

Musa Mohamed

Department

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

Abstract

The world is waking up to resolve the need to ensure broad-based inclusivity and equity for the hearing impaired. Kenya, a developing nation, is taking deliberate and conscious efforts towards this desired inclusive end, very much in line with Sustainable Development Goals. This study investigated the effective use of hearing aids for the acquisition of spoken language for learners with hearing impairment at St. Joseph’s School for the Deaf in Kisumu County Kenya. The study site was chosen purposively as it was a public primary school for the HI with sufficient access to appreciable governmental and non-governmental investments of HAs for educational interventions. Whereas studies have been carried out elsewhere to establish a correlation between HAs and language acquisition among the deaf and hard of hearing, this particular study casts its spotlight on a supportive County enthusiastic to achieve inclusivity in national life and equitable growth. The objectives were; to determine the effectiveness of the use of hearing aids, enumerate experiences learners have in using HAs, and determine the factors that hinder effective use of HAs, investigate the relationship between spoken language and HAs, and investigate how spoken language is acquired by learners with HI. The study was guided by the socio-cultural theory of Lev. Vygotsky that accentuated learning as socially constructed. A qualitative case study research design was adopted. Data was collected using interview guides, focus group discussion, and document analysis protocol. Analysis involved transcription of data, coding to generalize the findings, and categorization according to the themes related to research questions. The findings revealed that acquisition of spoken language in the school was not ideal and speech training, care, and maintenance, prices, reverberation, and acoustic feedback, hindered the effective use of HAs. The recommendation was that teachers take part in speech training, ear mold production units to be built, and care and maintenance services be provided within the school.

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