Teacher Attitude Towards Learners with Learning Difficulties in Early Childhood Education (A Case Study of Some Selected Secondary Schools Nasarawa State)
Chapter One
Preamble of the Study
Education liberates, raises class status regardless of one‟s family or home background. It makes someone economically buoyant, politically upgraded and socially adjusted. Education also is a tool for national development for every nation. However, the plight of the number of people living with disabilities is increasing especially in the developing countries. This is because high level of malnutrition, diseases, accident, crises and ignorance are persistent in developing countries. Nevertheless, it is obvious that disabilities exist throughout the world without respect for nationality, ethnicity, races, social status or cultural boundary. (Lere, 2007).
In Nigeria today, and elsewhere in the world, there are large numbers of children and adult who differ so markedly in mental, physical, emotional, sensory or behaviour characteristics from their normal peers as to require special help in realizing their optimum potentials. This has taken the form of provision to serve persons living with disability in regular classes of the school or provide instructions appropriate to their abilities if that served their needs more effectively.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
This chapter focuses on reviewing relevant literature such as conceptual frame work and theoretical frame work, under the following headings; Conceptual framework, Concept of Curriculum, Concept of evaluation, Concept of Implementation, Concept of special education, Attitude of parents towards implementation of special education curriculum, attitude of the community towards the implementation of special curriculum in Nasarawa state, empirical studies and summary.
Conceptual Framework
Concept of Curriculum
Every country in the world today has its curriculum and some countries today are more advanced in a number of ways than others. This depends on the type of curriculum they designed based on their national education policy. What is contained in a curriculum of every society heavily depends on norms, values, cultures, traditions, needs and interests of the society. The concept of curriculum viewed by some authorities is based on traditional and progressive perspectives.
Curriculum according to Walton as cited in Yunusa (2008) defined curriculum as that content and those processes designed to bring about learning of educational value. Curriculum is viewed by Doll as cited in Yusuf (2012), as the formal and informal content and process by which learners gain knowledge and understanding, develop skills and alter attitudes, appreciations and values under the auspices of the school. According to Hass as cited in Izang (2013), defined curriculum as the experiences that all individual learners have in a program of education whose purpose is to achieve broad goals and related specific objective. Walton as cited in Yunusa (2008), said that curriculum is the programme of activities designed so that pupils will attain by learning certain specific aims and objectives. Also Izang (2013), defined curriculum as a preconceived intention or mapped out plans of all learner activities deliberately chosen and directed by the school which students follow to reach predetermined goals. In another development Akpale (2010), viewed curriculum as the planned and unplanned educational experiences in which both students and teachers work for the attainment of educational goals. Grundy (2007) viewed curriculum as a programme of activities designed so that pupils will attain as far as possible certain educational and other schooling objectives. In the same vain Oliva as cited in Yusuf (2012) defined curriculum as a plan or programme of all the experiences that the learner encounters under the direction of the school. Tanner and Tanner as cited in Yusuf (2012) posited that curriculum is a plan or programme of all experiences which the learner encounters under the direction of a school.
While Alexander as cited in Yusuf (2012), defined curriculum as a planned programme of learning opportunities aimed at achieving board goals and related objectives. Jenkin defined a curriculum as all the activities, experiences, situations, and conditions which the School select and organize Systematically to bring about positive changes in the individuals so that they will become morally strong, physically fit, emotionally stable, mentally sound, and socially amiable. Beside Moreno (2006) Defined a curriculum as that document geared towards achieving the goals, the aspiration and desire needs of the society. Hass (2007) pointed out that, a school curriculum includes all of the experiences that an individual learners have in a program of education whose purpose is to achieve abroad goals and related specific objective. In addition Bolaji (2007) A curriculum is referred to as those activities carefully selected to improve learners well being with the teachers as directing the live action of children. Kelly (2009) Views curriculum as the totally of learning experience provided to student so that they can attain general skills and knowledge of different varieties. Often Akpale (2011) views curriculum as planned and unplanned educational experiences in which both students and teachers all works for the attainment of educational goals.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
The chapter centers on describing the methods and procedures adopted in this study. It was presented under the following sub-headings: Research Design, population of the study, sample and sampling techniques, instrument for data collection, procedure for data collection, validity, pilot testing and reliability of the instrument and the method of data analysis.
Research Design
This study adopted descriptive survey research. A descriptive survey research is that type that studies in detail about a population using data obtained from a representative sample and generalized on the entire population. The choice of the design is based on the opinion of Agbe (2003), that this design should be employed when a research work involves the use of questionnaire to seek the opinions of respondents in a large coverage of study.
Population of the study
The target population of the study was four hundred and thirty six (436) comprised of one hundred and twenty one (121) teachers and three hundred and fifteen (315) JSSII students.
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Research Question 1:
This research question is: What is the attitude of teachers to students with special needs in mainstreamed public secondary schools? To answer this question, data on some question items were extracted from the data collected on “Teachers Attitude to Students with Special Needs” (TASSN) questionnaire. The data were analyzed using percentages. The results are presented in Table1.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendations
In order to have a fruitful integration of students with special needs in our educational system, the following steps should be in place:
- Early childhood should as a matter of policy have enough specially trained teachers integrated into them. Their interaction with the conventionally trained ones would to a great extent help in the improvement of attitudes towards the exceptional children. They will at least have the interest of these children at heart when teaching, and also take them seriously in teaching.
- Effort should be made to frequently expose teachers in integrated setting to workshop and seminars on education of students with special needs.
- Government should provide incentives, promotions and regular payments of salaries to teachers in mainstreaming public secondary schools in order to enhance quality teaching.
- Provision of special equipment and materials is also fundamental. This would be a motivation strategy to make teaching-learning process to be interesting and effective for teachers and students.
- Counselling services should be provided to all the members of any integrated school. Through integration and counselling for public awareness, the prejudices against exceptional children in school setting and in other areas would be gradually reduced. Teachers and regular students should be enlightened to accept, respect and show affection towards students with special needs, so as to develop their positive self- concept and self-esteem.
- Education should be adequately funded so as to overcome the problem of provision and maintenance of equipment and materials, and to make the environment conducive to learning.
Conclusion
- It is clear that mainstreaming programme for students with special needs can be fruitful if there is a positive change of attitude by teachers to them. This positive attitude of teachers will lead to acceptance of students with special needs by regular students, positive self- concept of students with special needs, and also increase in their academic performances in integrated setting. Government and other stake holders of education should be concerned with identifying all forms of challenges and barriers to mainstreaming within national policies, educational institutions and communities with a view to eliminate them. Thus, teachers’ attitudes undoubtedly had a great influence on the school achievement and social behaviours’ of the special needs children.
References
- Abang, T.B (2005). The Exception Child Hand Book of Special Education. Jos Fab Education: Jos Fab Educational books.
- Agbe, N.N (2008). Fundamentals of Research Reporting in Education. A Practical Approach. Makurdi: Selfers.
- Ezera, I.O. Ezeani, N.E. Ozoji E.D & Adednego, .M. (2006) Contemporary Issues in Learning Difficulties Education. Jos: Deka Publications.
- Federal Republic of Nigeria (1981). National Policy on Education. Lagos: NERDC Press. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004). National Policy on Education. Lagos: NERDC Press. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2014). National Policy on Education. Lagos: NERDC Press.
- Francis, M. (2013). Evaluation of the Implementation of Inclusive Education Practices in Some Selected Public Primary Schools in Nasarawa state. Unpublished M.Ed Thesis University of Jos.
- Fuandi, .C. (2010). Catering for Children with Special Need in Regular Classroom. Jos: Deka Publication.
- Fwangle, S.M (2018). Assessment of Social Studies Curriculum Implementation in Colleges of Education North Central Geo-political Zone of Nigeria. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis submitted to the Department of Educational Foundations and Curriculum, Faculty of Education Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
- Gambo, J. (2017). Working with Measurement and Evaluation Approaches in Inclusive Education as a Strategy for the Achievement of Education for All (EFA) Goals in Nigeria. International Journal of Indusive Education, Research and Development 1(1):108 – 116.
