Assessment of Availability, Adequacy and Condition of High-Tech Assistive Technology Resources in Special Education Schools in North-West Nigeria
- February 2, 2020
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: Education, IJRISS
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue I, January 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186
Samaila Dominic1,Chukwuemeka Emeka Joshua2, Babatunde Abdullateef Eyitayo3
1,2,3Dept. of Educational Technology, Federal University of Technology, Minna Nigeria
Abstract – Development of assistive technology in education has been boosted with the recent innovations making way into special education schools worldwide. This survey assessed availability, adequacy and condition of high-tech assistive technology in special education schools in North-West Nigeria. The study used a questionnaire and observation checklist. Two hundred teachers (N=200) from special education schools in North-West Nigeria responded to the questionnaire. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to sample both schools and the respondents. The validity of the instruments was determined by experts from special education and educational technology while the reliability of the two instruments used was established through pilot testing and the reliability value of 0.81 and 0.74 was obtained for the two instruments, respectively using Cronbach Alpha and Kappa’s inter-rater formulas. The data collected were analysed using frequency count and percentage. Findings of the study showed that 56% of the high-tech assistive resources necessary for quality teaching and learning in special education schools were not available. It was also observed that 44% of high-tech assistive resources found available were grossly inadequate to guarantee better special education service delivery for students with disabilities. It was recommended among others that both the Federal and State governments as well as, other stakeholders, should improve on funding the special education programme so as to ensure that the necessary assistive resources are provided in a required quantity and quality in special education schools among others. Hence, emphasis on their integration in planning curriculum and pedagogy for students with special needs.
Keywords: Availability, Adequacy, Special Education, High-Tech Assistive Technology
I. INTRODUCTION
Developing countries like Nigeria have worked hard to improve access to basic and quality education. This includes the provision of free and compulsory education for all children as contained in the Universal Basic Education Act of 2004. However, there is still significant work to be done, especially in the development of special education. Today, over 13.2 million children of primary school age and 2.7 million adolescents are not going to school in Nigeria [10].
