QUESTION

With relevant examples, explain intrinsic and extrinsic barriers of learning in a classroom
environment.

Barriers are all or any obstacles that prevents a learner from leaning effectively being fully
engaged in the learning process. These obstacles prevent learners from accessing programs,
make it difficult for the learner to go to class and limit them from concentrating.

These barriers can be both intrinsic and extrinsic barriers.

INTRINSIC BARRIERS.

These are obstacles in the learning environment that arise within the individual learners
themselves that prevent them from learning effectively.

Examples of intrinsic barrier include;

1. Physical barriers/physical impairments; this is a total or partial loss of function of a

body part.so learners with physical impairment experience a problem with mobility of
affected body part and physical vitality.so they are unable to follow up teachers for feed
back and involving themselves all classrooms activities and assessments more so the
practical part hence being left behind.
Examples of physical barriers are cerebral palsy,Spinal cord injuries ,Carpal tunnel
syndrome.
 Amputation

2. Intellectual impairment; this is a barrier that involves general mental abilities.it affects
a learner in problem solving and making judgments.it normally affects the brain.so the
affected learners IQ is below average.taking in or understanding , mentoring what has
been taught becomes a problem and performance in class is low and the learner in the
long run losses interest in learning.

3. Chronical Illness and diseases; these are disease that are persistent, have no cure or
take long to cure. its effects the learners daily attendance,their ability to participate in
education because they spend long periods of time in hospitals and always on
treatment .they feel isolated from family and peer so cannot participate fully in the
classroom activities hence their performance is affected.
Examples of chronic diseases include;-Asthma,Diabetes, Sickle cells,and Cancer .

4. Psycho-social disturbances; these are barriers that involve difficulties faced by

adolescents in different areas of personal and social functioning. These disturbances have
 a negative impact on their academic achievements and give rise to barriers in their
learning.
Examples of psycho-social disturbances.
1. Hyperactive behavior.
2. Stammering
3. Shyness and
4. Impulsive behavior.

5. Emotional and behavioral barriers. This is a barrier evidenced by negative levels of

self-esteem experienced by learner so they end up contributing less in academics in the
long run left behind.
6. Sensory disorders; this is a barrier where one or a learners senses is not normal in one
way or the other. It may be permanent loss of part of a body sense or mailed situations.
Examples include;-
 autism,
 visual disability and
 hearing impairment
7. Neurological and developmental impairments, these barriers are normally hereditary
and genetically factors like poor eyesight, speech and language disorder, ADHD, ADD
and low levels of intelligence among others.

EXTRINSIC BARRIERS
Extrinsic barriers are barriers in the learning environment that arise outside the learner
but impact on his\her learning .these barriers may be socio-economic,systemic or
pedagogical.
Socio-economic .this can be explained as a social pressures and financial difficulties that
prevent learners born into a lower class back ground from moving over other course of
their lives into a more affluent class say children from poor families are less likely to
meet education basics.
Examples of socio-economic barriers include;-
 Orphaned and vulnerability. Orphaned means one has lost his biological parents
and left under the care of other family members so they are vulnerable, they serve
at the mercy of others. This become a barrier in a way that, the care taker
sometimes may not take good care of them or subject them to harsh environment
like other working them ending up going to school late, deny them time to read
their books or even deny them the education basics hence a barrier to learning.
  Family challenges. family challenges for example divorce where the parents
separated, domestic violence which sometimes leads to death of one of the parent
is also a barrier
 Environmental factors; these are socio economic circumstances like background noise
distraction from factories near the school and moving cars that takes the attention of
the learner Family upbringing; here learners are denied opportunities to make a
choice on the course to do and the school but simply pressurized by parents hence
becoming hostile and negative to them hence failure to perform in class.
 School factors i.e. poor teaching due to lack of qualifications, unmotivated teachers and
being under looked, inappropriate study material and crowded classrooms among others.
 Language and cultural difference mainly affecting those with hearing, deaf blindness
impairments and those who are dumb and limited jobs
 Unstable and broken homes, usually caused by divorce, poverty, death of one parent
leading to emotional challenges and hence affecting the learners education.
