Parental attitudes towards children with hearing impairment and academic performance: a case of Kambui School for the deaf, Githunguri District, Kiambu County, Kenya

Type Thesis or Dissertation - Master of Education
Title Parental attitudes towards children with hearing impairment and academic performance: a case of Kambui School for the deaf, Githunguri District, Kiambu County, Kenya
Author(s)
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2014
Abstract
In recent decades there has been a proliferation of studies on the empirical aspect of the
parental attitudes on academic development of children. Results show that family
socioeconomic levels, typology characteristics, a suitable home environment and parents'
positive attitude on a child are factors affecting the academic development of the vast majority
of children. Apparently, parents‟ positive attitude towards their children and family support
increase pupils‟ confidence in their abilities and awakens the child‟s interest in learning thus
improving their academic performance. The present study was undertaken to investigate the
relationship between parental attitudes towards children with hearing impairment and parent‟s
level of education, occupation, age, marital status, child‟s birth order and the number of
children in a family. The sample comprised of 65 parents of children with hearing impairments
in Kambui School for the Deaf in the Nursery, infant, class one, class two and class three. The
purpose of this study was to establish factors that influence parental attitudes towards their
children who are hearing impaired in Kambui School for the deaf in Githunguri District,
Kiambu County. The study was guided by Zanna and Rempel component theory and
Brofenbrenner Ecological Model. The literature reviewed revealed that attitudes play an
important role in how an individual behaves towards another. This intended behavior also
affects the outcome of the person receiving it. Descriptive study design was employed. The
dependent variable was parental attitudes towards children with hearing impairment while
parent‟s age, level of education, marital status, occupation, number of children and the child‟s
birth order were the independent variables. Purposeful and convenient sampling technique was
used to select the sample of the study. A questionnaire was used to collect the required data.
To measure the reliability of the instruments, split-half method and Cronchbach‟s Alpha
methods were used. The validity of the instrument was measured using content validity.
Frequencies and Pearson‟s correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data. The results
revealed that parent‟s age, marital status and child‟s birth order do not influence parents
attitude towards a child who is hearing impaired at P> 0.05. However, parents‟ level of
education, occupation and the number of children parents have, influence the parents attitude
towards a child with hearing impairment at P <0.05. The study recommends that the
government through the Ministry of Education and other agencies like NGOs, FBOs and
CBOs, should create support programs for parents of children with hearing impairment to
ensure they develop positive attitudes towards their children. It also recommends that The
Kenya Society for the Deaf to provide early intervention programs for children, since those
who are assessed within the first few months of life and whose families are involved in
effective early intervention programs have a positive attitude towards their children. Finally
the study recommends for further research to be carried out on parental attitudes towards
children with hearing impairment and use different research methodologies.

Related studies

»