CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

1.1 Introduction
This interval seeks out to present the innumerable challenges which are met by students with hearing
losses within a school setting. In this opening chapter the scholar will make efforts to explain what
the research is all about. The current chapter looks at the background of the study, statement of the
problem, research objectives, research questions, importance of the study, study assumptions, the
delimitations, the restrictions, explanation of terms and ends with the chapter summary.

1.2 Background to the Study

It's a government procedure that all children despite of disability to pierce quality education. In this
appreciation, the preceptors have a great task of furnishing quality services to the children who are
learning with hearing loss. The literature on psychology of literacy is vast and numerous
psychologists among them Behaviorists, Cognitivists or Gestalts, involving Clinicians enjoy up to
being mastering proponents.

There are various types of disabilities that are affecting learners in various ways such as visual
impairment which is defined by (Holbrook et al., 2016), as “difficulty seeing or blindness that can
make accessing regular printed materials very challenging”. In order to access information,
adaptations are needed like braille, audio books, or enlarged texts. More so, there are physical
disabilities that include such conditions, limiting mobility, dexterity or motor skills which can impact
writing, computer/lab work participation according to (Couzens et al., 2015). Ramps, specialized
software/equipment may help in this case to access education. Learning disabilities (LD) are also
found among the leaners and these include diagnoses like dyslexia, dyscalculia impact taking in or
processing information. Things like extra time, tutoring, are supportive in acquiring education
according to (Mull & Sitlington, 2003). Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Affects social and sensory
processing, requiring environmental accommodations and organizational supports claims (Cai &
Richdale, 2016) hence bringing out some challenges in the learning systems of such people having
(ASD). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - Impairments in attention, executive
function and regulation skills pose barriers academically. Strategies like fidgets, quiet spaces can
assist (Heideman et al., 2020). Chronic illness involves diseases like epilepsy, cancer or arthritis may
trigger missed classes or cognitive impacts. Flexibility on deadlines is understanding according to
(Shaw & Ostwald, 2010). Lastly, Mental health conditions – these are Illnesses that include, Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety frequently treated with counselling and
leaves of absence according to (Wynaden et al., 2005).

Globally, hearing impairment presents ongoing challenges for education access and inclusion.
According to (WHO, 2018), “Approximately 34 million children worldwide suffer from hearing loss
and without proper support, learners with hearing loss often fall behind academically and face
social-emotional difficulties”. WHO approximations claim that there are about 360 million
individuals in the ecosphere with restricting hearing loss, which constitutes 5.3% of the world ‘s
populace. 328 million (91%) of these are adults while 183 million men, 145 million women and 32
million which sums up to 9% of these are children (WHO, 2012). Concerning the inventions at a
global scale of views, the well-established countries such as United States of America, Italy, United
Kingdom, and Finland are a sample of nations that grabbed several initiatives to funding hearing-
impaired children to pick up the English language. According to (Stokwell,2014), “hearing-impaired
children in the developed countries, receive special needs education with the goal-oriented to meet
the learning diversity relating to their levels of hearing loss through professional teachers and sign
language translators in the classroom setting.”

According to (IDEA, 2010), "in these developed countries colourful sweats have been done
including early identification and intervention on language outgrowth of children born with hail loss
that improves language issues." The emphasis is on providing quality special needs education in
order to improve knowledge access and communication with others internationally among students
with hearing loss. According to the United Nations (2015), "special requirements education in these
countries handed with better government support in different sphere including provision of colourful
coffers which are material coffers and human coffers."

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), hearing impairment is a broad term that
encompasses hearing deficits ranging from hard of hearing to total deafness. In the words of Davis,
Elfenbein, Schum, & Bentler (1986) "Amongst the conditions that influence the advancement of
communication skills of people with hearing impairments are personality, intelligence, nature and
degree of the hearing loss, amount and category of residual hearing, range of benefit derived from
intensification by hearing aids, family setting, and stage of development at the onset of impairment."
According to Marschark (2013), students with hearing impairments require assistance in one or more
of four broad areas of development: communication and socialization, cognition and learning,
behavioral, emotional, and social growth, and sensory or physical facets of development.

In the parts of sub-Sahara of Africa, conditions are especially concerning, the region has among the
world's highest prevalence rates of hearing loss, largely due to preventable causes like untreated
middle ear infections according to (Ameka et al., 2019). Resources and trained professionals to
serve hearing impaired communities, however, remain limited across much of the continent. African
countries, particularly the majority of Sub-Saharan African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya,
Uganda, and Malawi, have also undertaken a number of initiatives to improve English linguistics
learning for hearing-impaired students. Contrary to this, according to (Kalee, 2014). “Some African
nations such as Kenya and Zimbabwe, these scholars come across several encounters including
shortages on the number of expert teachers compared to the number of scholars also there are
inadequate services to accommodate hearing impaired Leaners”. According to Musengi, Ndofirepi,
and Shumba (2013), in Zimbabwe, mentors and trainees' special needs educators with no deaf
assistant tend to instruct with spoken language instead of sign language because they have no prior
understanding of them.

Hearing impairment in most cases disturbs children’s learning in the development of receptive
interactive skills if the teachers are not that literate in language skills, because the teachers play a
pivotal part to assist these students excel in their academic initiatives. Nevertheless, according to
(Colclasure, Thoron & Lorase, 2016), “Teaching scholars with hearing-impairment requires much
attention on the understanding of the severity of pupils’ hearing-impairment and put in place
required measures to intensify their learning as well as coping skills”. According to Colclasure et al.
(2016), to strengthen the learning activities and classroom setting for hearing-impaired students,
tutors must include arc or U-shaped seating plans, have enough lighting for the pupils to lip-read,
and the classroom must restrict background noise but have to be well connected to assistive devices.
In Zimbabwe specifically, studies estimate about 1 in 200 children are born with or acquire
moderate-severe hearing loss by age 15, claimed (Ching et al., in 2013). Similarly, in Zimbabwe the
hearing-impaired community sums up to approximately 324,000 people according to the (Ministry
of Education, 2015). Nevertheless, about 1991 of these populaces have been registered in the pre-
primary, primary and secondary institutes (Ministry of Education: Statistics in Zimbabwe, 2016).

Yet services and support vary greatly depending on location. Most public schools lack specialized
programs, interpreters, or teachers trained in sign language necessary to appropriately include deaf
learners. According to (Machira 2018) Leaners with hearing-impairments have been poorly
performing in terms of academic performance. (Mpofu, 2013) also stated that academics with
hearing impairments have consistently lagged behind their hearing counterparts in academic ability,
as seen by a comparison of their examination scores. According to MoPSE (2018–2019), the pass
rate for students with hearing impairments in Grade 7 in Murehwa District over the years 2018–2019
ranged between 27.01% and 31.04% on the national test. Furthermore, the passing rates for Grade
Sevens in Murombedzi District ranged between 30.1% and 36.7% (MoPSE, 2018–2019).

Generally, pupils with hearing loss do not outperform especially when compared with their hearing
peers in the national examination. Their ranking amongst the other regular schools, hearing
impairment schools rank among the bottom positions in terms of passing percentages. This
observation has necessitated the need for this particular inquiry to highlight the constraints behind
the education of learners with hearing impairments at Henry Murray school for the deaf. It is within
this context that Henry Murray plays an important role as one of Zimbabwe's few specialized
residential schools for students with hearing impairments., was founded in 1947, it serves learners
ages 7-24 from all over the country. The center provides education, therapy, and dormitory
accommodations with the aims of developing students' academic abilities and skills for independent
living. However, like other schools on the continent, Henry Murray faces resource constraints that
compromise with the quality of support offered.

Henry Murray is a special school for the deaf, a housing school which was established here in
Zimbabwe along the year 1947. Henry Murray School for the Deaf in Masvingo is located at
Morgenster Mission, a Reformed Church in Zimbabwe (RCZ) mission. The school have a capacity
of 247 children ranging from seven to twenty-four years of age of which one hundred and one are
girls and one hundred and forty-six are boys The capacity of teachers is 35. This study seeks solely
explore the extent to which the school strives to meet its original decree of catering entirely for H.I
leaners.

1.3 Statement of the Problem

All entities including without and individuals with disabilities require access to education and
training to maintain an independent kind of life. The learning development of hearing-impaired kids
is similar to that of other students and conventional schools, but these students confront a number of
problems that other students do not. Because of their hearing impairment, some of these children
require highly specialised equipment to aid in their learning. According to (Mayaka, 2012),
“education and training of the hearing-impaired persons creates a sea of opportunities to
employment and helps them to feed and independently take care of themselves in the after-school
life”. Education intensifies human capabilities and improves productivity when it comes to the labor
pool, and national development according to (UNESCO, 1994). Despite the fact that Zimbabwe is
one of the African countries with a high literacy rate, education for students with H.I. remains
insufficient. As a result, students with H.I. have not received a comprehensive education that allows
them to fulfil their full potential and contribute meaningfully to national growth. The study seeks to
explore the impact of challenges on overall learning experience to develop effective strategies and
intervention actions to advance the educational outcomes at Henry Murray School for the deaf in
Masvingo province.

1.4 Significance of the study

The drive behind this study is to establish interruptions to current learning of the children with
hearing-impairment in the sight of a special needs primary school (Henry Murray) and endorse the
possible and efficient interventions that may boost the quality of learning amongst the persons who
are hearing-impaired all-over other parts of the country and other nationalities that share the same
problems.

1.4.1 The families of children with hearing impairment

The current study will provide insight to parents and caregivers on the constraints met along, by
students with hearing impairments but however it will also aid most importantly by providing
administration stratagems for various stakeholders in schools as they deal with these challenges.
The conclusions of this research will play a role to the sparse literature of the already
documented experiences and challenges encountered by the children with hearing impairments
along the learning way, to enable parents to understand their children better.

1.4.2 The Academic circles

The study will make available an insight on the major challenges faced by children with hearing
impairments. It will also highlight the strategies that can be executed as solutions to the
challenges so that they can be completely incapacitated and culminate their brutal experiences.
The study will also help to bring new knowledge to the existing literature in the field of disability
studies. Because this study maintains its own boundaries, the findings are likely to provide a
more complete framework for future research.
1.4.3 The community
An examination of the difficulties encountered by students with hearing impairments is an
essential study that will benefit the general community by offering light on how to handle the
issues that disabled students face in such institutions. The study's findings are likely to be eye-
opening for numerous stakeholders, allowing them to be proactive in prioritising dealing with the
prevalence of hearing impairments among adolescents. This study is planned to serve as a
resource for a variety of stakeholders, including community leaders, students in schools, and
parents of children having hearing impairments.

1.4.4 Government (The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education)

This research will shed more light on the dimensions that teachers have in educating students
with hearing loss for the purpose of mainstreaming programs, workshops, seminars, and in-
service training that would allow them to effectively handle students with special needs .I.). In
relation to that, this study anticipates informing policymakers about the importance of
establishing favorable educational policies for children with disabilities and clearly specifying
 various mechanisms that enable the children to acquire a high-quality education in a friendly
environment, just like any other child in regular schools.

1.5 Research Objectives

1. To investigate the main challenges encountered by learners with H.I and how these challenges,
affect their academic performance.

2. To find out how these challenges affect their academic performance

3. To explore the coping strategies to the challenges, faced by the learners with H.I. at Henry
Murray.

4. To suggest possible solutions to the challenges faced by learners with H.I. at Henry Murray

1.6 Research Questions

1. What are the main challenges encountered by learners with H.I and how has these challenges has
affected their learning?

2. How have these challenges affected their learning process

3. What are the coping strategies, of the leaners with H.I. at Henry Murray

4. What are the possible solutions to the challenges faced by learners with H.I. at Henry Murray.

1.7 Purpose of the study

Students learning with hearing difficulties, like any other regular learner, require an exceptional
standard of living; thus, the purpose of this study is to assist school administrators in building or
developing policies and favourable conditions, as well as to develop assistance programmes for
hearing impaired learners to combat the major adverse challenges they encounter in their schooling
environment and to assist those who are already in need. The target audience for this study on the
obstacles experienced by hearing-impaired learners must be able to provide solutions to the
challenges faced by the learners. The study also aims to provide insight into the activities that
institutions, society as a whole, and the government could take to improve this quality of life in
connection to the nature of their surroundings' experiences.

1.8 Assumptions

This study will have the following assumptions

1. The interviewees are going to be available and that they will answer willfully and honestly
without any trace of bias.
2. There has not been much attention placed pertaining the challenges that are met by learners with
hearing impairments and how it affects their learning.
3. Students with disabilities in academic institutions experience various challenges that affect their
learning in different ways.
4. The findings of this research will be accurate and representative of the specified demographic.

1.9 Limitation of the Study

The purpose of this study is limited because, during the data collection process, some participants
may not necessarily divulge all of the essential information due to privacy concerns. However, the
researcher intends to be extremely open about the ethical considerations, which involve secrecy and
privacy. Another limitation is that the research is mostly focused on children with hearing
impairment at Henry Murray in Masvingo, leaving others in the same condition throughout
Zimbabwe; thus, the results may be limited.

1.10 Delimitations

The study is going to find out the challenges faced by the learners living with hearing H.I the
learners must be only from one chosen school. To ensure validated information is obtained there will
be interviews with the teachers of the leaners with hearing impairment as they are the ones that
spend much time with them and helps to identify the problems the teachers face in teaching the
leaners. The research sample will be chosen from leaners and the teachers at one chosen setting. The
sample will reveal what challenges these leaners face in their learning process and explore their
copying strategies as well as solutions to the challenges they face. The challenges faced by the
leaners with hearing impairment will be investigated using a qualitative methodology. The
researcher will frequently consult sources including journals, books, and newspapers and make use
of reports from teachers to gain what they observe and how they solve the challenges.

1.11 Definition of terms

Challenges:
According to The Chambers Dictionary (2006), challenges are obstacles that demand one's
attention, effort, or tasks to test one's influences and talents to their maximum capacity. The
physical and emotional impediments or obstacles experienced by learners who have disabilities
during the process of learning, integrating into society, and environmental modifications in the
learning establishment are referred to as challenges in this piece of work. Furthermore, in this
study, the terms challenges and barriers will be used interchangeably.
Hearing impairment (H.I):

Hearing-impairment (H.I) is well-defined by (IDEA, 2014) as "diminishing in hearing, whether

everlasting or fluctuating by circumstances, that harmfully affect learners’ educational
performance."

Special Needs Education (S.N.E)

When dealing with the educational aspects of physically challenged individuals, the term
"special needs education" replaces the term "disability" (Mutugi, 2018). Special needs education
students include those who have more difficult challenges in learning, growth disorders,
behavioural issues, and an inability to connect with other physically able-bodied individuals
(Lindsay, 2007). In Zimbabwe, the term "Special Needs Education" refers to the sort of
education provided to people with all types of disabilities.

1.12 Chapter Summary

The chapter provided background information for this research and served as the foundation for
the entire study. Its primary goal was to investigate the factors that prompted the need for this
research. It emphasized issues such as the study's background, problem description, significance
 of the study, and study purpose. The chapter also addressed topics such as study questions,
objectives, constraints, assumptions, and, finally, definitions of terms relating to the topic.

CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

The literature review of earlier research findings is presented and discussed in chapter two. It focuses
on the theories, viewpoints, and ideas advanced by other scholars on the subject at hand. A review of
literature is a critical assessment of the research on the subject under consideration, frequently
written to place a research problem in its proper context. The goal of the literature review is to
broaden the researcher's comprehension of the phenomenon from several angles. According to (Polit
& Beck 2008:105–106), “a thorough study of the literature aids the researcher in choosing the most
effective way to add to the body of knowledge already in existence. The research will describe,
condense, assess, expunge, and incorporate the findings of other academics. The researcher
understands that there are many viewpoints regarding the literature from other academic works or
qualitative study effort.

Chapter two presents and discusses the review of previous study findings in the literature. It focuses
on the hypotheses, opinions, and concepts put out by other academics on the relevant topic. A review
of the literature is an analytical evaluation of the studies conducted on the topic being discussed; it is
often done to set a research problem in its appropriate context. Expanding the researcher's
understanding of the phenomenon from multiple perspectives is the aim of the literature review. The
study will outline, summarize, evaluate, eliminate, and incorporate the research findings of other
scholars. The investigator is aware that there

2.2 Special Needs Education (SNE)

2.2.1 Features of Special Needs Education (SNE)

Since SNE occurs independently, it is preferable to act now rather than later. In order to reduce the
risk of developmental delays, there has been a recent surge in the provision of family-focused
programs and special education, especially for disabled newborns, toddlers, and pre-scholars. More
is being done to guarantee that high-quality early interventions and special education in early
childhood programs are accessible to a larger and faster audience. "A national review found that
96% of current general education teachers reported that they had previously taught students with
disabilities," according to Heward (2006). It is important to know that settings where instruction will
occur, determine relatively the opportunities to learn and explore targeted skills. As previously said,
the implication of this element derives from the fact that the majority of the school day is spent in
ordinary classrooms by almost 6 million school-age students with impairments. Furthermore,
according to Heward (2006), "only 10% to 12% of school-age populations receive special education
services, and another 10% to 20% experience learning difficulties or behavioral issues that interfere
with their ability to succeed in school." This means that in order to keep these millions of struggling
and at-risk pupils from failing our educational system, special education instructors as a whole must
devise ways for cooperating and exchanging information and resources.

2.2.2 Challenges of Special Needs Education

The first cause for concern is that the student’s exhibit disruptive behavior, which is linked to
emotional distress such as low self-esteem, focus issues stemming from neurological impulses, a
lack of socialization regarding appropriate behavior, or a combination of the aforementioned issues.
Students must learn how to behave in a socially acceptable manner, but excessively disruptive
communication and calling attention to behavior that is not appropriate are too frequently employed
and do not aid in improving the disruptive behavior that is the root of such behavior, according to
UNESCO (2003).

Another issue that many students have is the difficulty they have with writing and reading, which
makes it imperative that they acquire adequate reading abilities. It is true that some people have
unique requirements or are developing difficulties relating to their ability to read and write. The
ability to use oral (or sign) language as a tool of thinking, reasoning, and communicating, as well as
an appreciation of the language of instructions and simple concepts, are the foundations of both
mathematical and reading comprehension. "The main reasons why learners may develop difficulties
in learning to read and write are that they do not recognise enough or are not fluent in the language
of instruction," as stated by UNESCO in 2003.

2.2.3 Advantages of Special Education to leaners with special needs

The environment in which instruction will take place dictates the relative possibilities for pupils to
acquire and apply the skills they are intended to learn. This is how special education is personally
planned. Furthermore, according to (Heward 2006), “specialized education incorporates both natural
and artificial supports and a variety of instructional materials to help student acquire and use targeted
learning objective.” In addition, there is a lot of repetition, structure, clarity, and attention to detail in
the intensive education that is given. Scholars with special-needs need sustenance in the classroom
and this can be delivered in a more devoted special needs institute, or a regular class with resource
support or secondary support.

2.2.4 Difference between Inclusive and Special needs Education

The distinction between inclusive education and special education is explained by (Heward, 2006).
The two concepts in this study are contrasted, which is crucial since it will help identify the
difficulties in teaching and learning for students with hearing impairments.

Exploring the differences between special needs education as well as inclusive education helps one
to understand the disadvantages and advantages of enrolling a child whether in a special school
setting or inclusive setting.

2.3 Conceptual Framework

The ear is the part of the body that is used for hearing and the information about the world is mainly
acquired through hearing. In the global disability index, hearing-impairment is accustomed.
Worldwide studies have brought forward that hearing-impairment is more common in African
nations as compared to other parts of the World (World Health Organization, 2012). It should be
assumed that anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing should have an auditory impairment. It is a
physical, observable tissue state, or more accurately, an impairment, that may have an impact on
how the organ system of which that tissue is a part functions. According to (Okeke, 2001),
“Hearing-impairment affects the operative functioning of the total personality, no matter the period
of the onset”. The term hearing impairment gained popularity in recent years as a central vehicle for
reconnoitering, understanding and prompting action across a variety of physical impairments and it
was devised to replace the term deaf as it was now a social labeling and discriminatory name given
to people who cannot hear properly or totally. H.I is a complex problem provoked by different
problems be it at pre-birth, at birth and also after that cause a lot of challenges that temper with
individual capabilities such as hearing and participation competitively in social circles. The
literature, the course is characterized by problem focus, intentional action, and interactive contact.
Hearing impairment affects certain behaviors such as social participation, individual assistance and
therefore this can be well-defined as a problem focused, unplanned behavior, linking interpersonal
interaction with a carefully chosen disability educational professional.

2.1.1 Nature of hearing-impairment (H.I)

A child with a hearing impairment experiences a handicap that interferes with their ability to
operate normally. No matter how severe the impairment, the condition hinders their ability to learn.
From a worldwide perspective, research on the impact of minor hearing loss on academic
performance (Ernbrey, 1971) revealed that children with mild hearing impairments did not perform
at the same level as their typically hearing peers. There are three main sections of the ear: the
middle, outer, and inner ear. Hearing impairment is a general term that encompasses both partial
deafness and difficulty hearing (Ross, 1972). Commonly, here are the following categories of
hearing impairments

1. Sensorineural hearing impairments

2. Conductive hearing impairments

3. Mixed hearing impairments

4. Central hearing impairments

To begin with the conductive hearing impairment, it is as a result of hindrance to the passage of
sound waves through the external channel or by way of the ossicular chain through the central ear.
Thus, in this instance, the child hears if sound waves are somehow transferred straight to the inner
ear without passing via the middle ear. Therefore, suitable teaching and learning strategies that
support language acquisition and social and emotional adjustment are necessary for the hearing-
impaired. Both surgery and the use of bone conduction hearing aids behind the ears can benefit
someone with conductive hearing loss. Children frequently experience sensorineural hearing loss,
which is linked to the inner ear since it results from injury or degeneration of the inner ear's sensory
structure. According to (Quigley and Kretschmer, 1998) this type of hearing-impairment base the
auditory pathway, the hearing loss is sustained. The other type of hearing impairment is called
central hearing impairment, and it affects the cerebral cortex, the area of the brain responsible for
shaping and interpreting sound perception. This means that central hearing loss arises from
disruption of the nerve fiber network that runs from the brain stem into the temporal lobes of the
cerebral cortex. From a local scale of views, (Mpofu and Shumba, 2012) in Zimbabwe conducted a
study which make conclusions that teachers, of individuals with disability are grossly insufficient.
In other terms, a malfunction in the auditory center in the brain causes central deafness. The
combination of sensorineural and conductive hearing loss is known as mixed hearing impairment.
This person has combined issues with their middle and inner ears. Because mixed hearing deafness
involves issues with both sound conduction and processing, diagnosis and treatment can be
challenging.

2.1.2 Challenges faced by leaners with hearing impairment (H.I)

It has been discovered that individuals with disabilities have fewer opportunities during the school
year, are less likely to attend, finish, or drop out of school, and possess fundamental skills.
According to the "World Federation for the Deaf data base," there are over 70 million deaf people
in the world, with 80 percent of them residing in developing countries (World Federation of the
Deaf, 2020). According to the United Nations (2019) annual report for persons with disabilities,
learning is impeded by numerous obstacles for those with hearing impairments. According to the
supplemental report, prejudice and discrimination, a lack of qualified teachers, a dearth of
educational resources, and a lack of aggregated research about disabilities continue to be
detrimental to people with disabilities and impair their ability to access high-quality education
anywhere in the world (UN, 2019). The Hearing Impaired are among the poorest of the
impoverished, with little access to education, according to WFD's supplemental detection. Many
bugs prevent students with special needs (H.I.) from learning to the most of their abilities by
preventing their complete engagement. The lack of dedicated teachers, learning materials, assistive
technology, ignorance or illiteracy on the part of most people that a disability is simply a condition
rather than an inability or a disease, communication breakdowns with the surrounding community,
negative attitudes from the community, poor water sanitation, inadequate funding, parental and
family desertion, scarce expert teachers, and the absence of transport facilities are some of these
(Zimbabwean Government, 2009).

Inadequate Specialist Teachers.

The shortage of specialized teachers for H.I learners is indeed a significant challenge globally. This
might be as a result of Limited Training Programs, low awareness and understanding, high teacher
workload due to limited stuffing as well as Geographic Disparities. The topical United Nations,
(2019.) feedback on disability proposed that republics should work in collaboration to deliver
training workshops to teachers and other education specialists to acquire facts and understanding in
inclusive education for persons living with disabilities. Regionally, a distinguished blogger noted,
“that teachers of sign language in Malawi lack satisfactory knowledge”

Other nations, including Pakistan (Ghulam et al., 2014), Scotland (Weedon et al., 2012), Canada
(Reed and Curtis 2011), Turkey (Mwakyeja 2013), and Singapore (Wong and Cohen 2011), have
also reported on the lack of expertise and proficiency in working with scholars with HI. These
reports highlight the teachers' inadequate knowledge and skills in educating students with HI as
delinquents. Similarly, Weedon et al. (2012) discovered that only 24 of the 131 teachers in Scotland
who work with pupils who have HI are qualified, a result of the inherent costs and lack of passion
among teachers. (Musengi and Chireshe, 2012) reported in their research conducted in Zimbabwe
that primary school instructors are not as proficient in sign language and do not possess the
necessary skills to support students with H.I. in their future careers. They were therefore entirely
dependent on the oral-aural teaching style.

Negative attitudes, stigma and myths held by society

On the other hand, in western countries, disabilities such as hearing loss are mostly viewed as
personal issues that limit one's ability to operate both physically and mentally. In Zimbabwe, as in
most traditional societies, there was a significant conviction that spiritual initiation is the cause of
infirmity and that ancestor spirits control people's life (Shoko, 2007). In Zimbabwe, cultural gravity
and antiquated attitudes have revealed that individuals with disabilities face partial or complete
abandonment in resource centers. Myths and unwelcome haughtiness towards children with special
needs discourage these youngsters from pursuing their educational goals, according to the National
Action Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (Zimbabwe Human Rights
Commission, 2003). This is brought out by the examples of the, mythologies apprehended by some
groups, that having a disability predicts resounding possession by evil spirits. While others be certain
of the facts that engaging in intercourse with a disabled person can cure such diseases as HIV/AIDS.
This belief exposes most people with hearing losses to such ill-treatment as harassment, bullying,
abuse, school dropping-out and has led some guardians to become more shielding to their disabled
children.

Regionally, in countries like Malawi believe the same way as articulated in the “Nation news-paper
of 5th October 2016” voiced that; countless children with impairments in Malawi are vulnerable, not
only in form of the bodily disability but also from dishonor in their homes. Furthermore, (Fichten
and Amsel,1986) correspondingly postulated that people living with disabilities are in most instances
labelled as excessively sensitive, self-pitying, deserted, reliant, easily dispirited, non-ambitious and
expect special treatment from others. Grounded on a study steered by (Hops, 1996) in Botswana,
people attributed disability as a presence of a curse due to witchcraft or close relative’s defilement of
traditional values or ethical standards. This societal stigmatization marks in the, desertion of children
with disabilities and at some points in times a complete rejection from their relatives. The actions
according to the study, have its short-term penalties like children with disabilities desiring to hide in
remote cattle posts while the long-term consequences dishearten disabled children from joining
formal schooling.

In a diversity of impairments, hearing loss is overwhelming, breaking and can be easily

misinterpreted as senility or absent mindedness according to (Hetu, 1993). To others, hearing-
impairment interrogations their self-perception and makes them have a sense insignificance and
abnormal in their societies (Gudyanga et., al 2014). In accordance to (Yuker, 1970)’s summations,
he proposed that the adverse and stereotyping attitude plays an important role to limiting the possible
opportunities that they deserve towards their improvement in life. Sometimes the boundaries forced
on persons with disabilities by the public are more ruthless and harsher than the disability itself. On
the universal scales of knowledge, however perceptions are more fluctuating towards persons with
disability and affecting their learning opportunities. In support of this, (Furnham and
Thompson ,1994) argued, “that this change may be a reflection of the socially desired answers than
the actual change. The theory of social desirability proposes that partakers are motivated to respond
constructively to items voicing what is believed to be socially appropriate (Wright, 1983). In other
terms, attitudes towards persons with disabilities instead of changing effectively mostly, individuals
may be not willing to bear their exact feelings of negativity since they know it is less acceptable to
express prejudgments and stereotypes towards the hearing-impaired learners in our society.
On the universal scale, insights are fluctuating towards persons living with disability and more
learning opportunities are being created.

Difficulty in language acquisition

A person with severe hearing loss may not be able to learn verbal language naturally, which could
hinder their growth. According to (Bakare, 1979), the deaf community's hearing organ deficiencies
lead to a deficit in the language skills development continuum, with perception being the first
important cognitive process. A deaf person used to frequently be mistaken for being stupid and deaf,
which meant they couldn't hear or speak. The complexity of the interaction between the two
(speaking and hearing) is now being revealed by research. Language difficult results in poor
academic achievement. In a study carried out by Mpofu, J and Chimhenga, S at King George school
in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Scholars with hearing loss have trouble with almost all areas of academic
achievement, especially reading, writing and most significantly mathematical impressions. Leaners
with mild, to moderate hearing loss, on an average, achieve from 1 to 4 grade levels lower than their
normal hearing peers, unless if the proper supervision occurs. In general, children with severe to
profound hearing impairments do not develop these skills beyond the third or fourth grade unless
they get early, appropriate, and illuminating assistance. As students get older and enter school, the
gap in academic achievement between those with normal hearing and those who have hearing loss
typically widens. The amount, type, and timing of children's support services as well as parental
involvement are related to academic achievement; for this reason, language barriers hinder students
with H.I. from actively participating in class discussions, posing questions, and forming relationships
with peers and teachers.
Social and emotional problems

A study carried out by (Lindsay,2007) shows that learners with HI often face social and emotional
challenges that can impact their learning process. Due to a number of annoying issues, such as
delayed language development, the hearing-impaired child will always be slower to develop socially
than the hearing child of the same age. According to (Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission,2007),
hearing-impaired reveals a boundless notch of emotional maladjustment than their normal peers.
They are often associated with problems such as limited social interactions, stigma and
discrimination, emotional distress, as well as communication barriers. They are often emotionally
insecure in their relationship with others as in most cases they are not sure of being understood by
other people when they use sign language (Obikeze' and Ofojebe 2000).

Shortage of Specialized Teaching and Learning Resources and Assistive Devices

The National Action Plan (2004) of the Zimbabwean government declared that the absence of fair
teaching and learning tools, such as assistive technology for apprentices with hearing impairments,
frequently obstructs access to high-quality education. According to a study which was done by
(Mangope, in 2002) exhibited that the principal and ultimate challenge for the teachers to deliver
proper education for learners with special needs is ultimately due to the absence of resources
(Musengi and Chireshe, 2012)), argue that Information and Technology equipment for students
with H.I, in Zimbabwe are currently in a dodge, inadequate and scarce. Furthermore, excessive
noise in the classroom and dead batteries in some hearing aids made it difficult to utilize them. Lack
of resources for pupils who score in the However, I have also provided testimony in Scotland
(Weedon et al.) This demonstrates that the lack of educational resources is a global issue.

Intellectual and academic achievement

The intellectual development of hearing children is superior to that of H.I. children due to the
latter's lack of auditory experience. (Okeke 2001) declared that the child's academic goals will be
seriously jeopardized if their hearing issue is not treated. This is because the child may not be able
to think deeply or abstractly. Put another way, linguistic impairments brought on by deafness
"obstruct regular patterns of cognitive stimulation and interpersonal communication and interaction,
which directly interferes with intellectual performance and influences thinking indirectly."
According to (Bartlett, 2003), “the students face challenges in improving their writing skills,
precisely in the area of speculative writing of Standard English.” Though, it is vibrant that countless
students are having a difficulty in writing due to a diversified reason.

Inadequate funding
Insufficient backing from the government is one of the encounters and (Ndhlovu ,2008) supported
this summation that, “short funding in Somalia is the main thing affecting the effective delivery of
special needs for the disabled in the state. This inadequacy of funding has several implications for
leaners with HI since funding is needed for buying specialized equipment and assistive technologies
which includes hearing aids, cochlear implants, among others. However, these technologies can be
expensive without adequate funding. The United Nations ,2019’s report also proposed that nations
ought to intensify their financial funding for the people with special education needs. In the same
way, (UNESCO ,1994) proposed that governments ought to rise capital while the Ministry of
Education (2006) is also of the views that the non-governmental organizations and the communities
should also complement the efforts of the government in supporting Special needs education.

2.1.4 Coping Strategies for educating the hearing-impaired Students

The term coping strategies states a process by which scholars with S.N practice with the various
approaches to overcome educational barricades come across during their learning course to improve
their access to curriculum, L&T materials, and their contribution in learning and to manage their
contact with others exclaimed (Musengi and Chireshe 2012; Mpofu and Chimhenga 2012). This
implies that, it is often hard to conventionalize the hearing impaired but however, when they are
mainstreamed, such students need sign language interpreters in the classroom as well as
supplementary resources for full-blown assistance. Academic achievement is negatively impacted
by hearing impairment, although the extent of these negative impacts varies depending on the
severity of hearing loss (Alade and Abosi 1991). Therefore, coping skills can aid people in
controlling their emotions, lowering their stress levels, and adjusting to their current situation. The
hearing-impaired therefore require appropriate ways that could aid in language acquisition as well
as social and emotional adjustment for the most thorough teaching and learning. These methods
include:
Auditory method: - This approach teaches children with hearing impairments how to identify
sounds. It places a strong emphasis on improving listening abilities. This is a circumstance in which
the hard of hearing person is continuously exposed to language and sound in their surroundings in
addition to having access to some form of amplification through hearing aids.
The oral method: - Signs and gestures are not permitted here. Instead, the oral technique teaches
through auditory instruction, lipreading, and speech. In the education of the hearing impaired, it is
essential to place a strong emphasis on helping them develop communication skills while
downplaying gestures and signs. The care of individuals with hearing impairments also emphasizes
the importance of early meaningful communication development, according to special educators.

Rochester method: - This approach prioritizes writing and reading. The Rochester approach
combines writing in the air or finger spelling with the spoken method.

Neo-oralism: - The main goal of this approach is to provide children with the means of
communication, particularly expressive communication, at a young age in order to transform them
from passive to active learners who take the initiative to learn. Finger spelling is used in this
method as well as the Rochester method. A young deaf child can easily acquire language if they
learn finger spelling, just like a child who is hard of hearing.

Simultaneous total communication method: - This method includes the use of finger spelling,
signs, gestures, dramatization reading, pencil and pen writing, drawing, and oral communication
audition. This strategy uses all the sense modalities. (Idowu, 2004) The following was written in a
piece about what teachers should do to instruct deaf or hard of hearing students: Children who are
deaf learn best through visual aids. For them, what they can see matters more than what they are
meant to hear. Thus, the instructor ought to utilize the whiteboard, illustrations, flowcharts, and so
on. Using actual things in the class also helps to generate and maintain student engagement. When
working with deaf children, it is crucial to understand the concept of over-learning. It is best to
convey a same idea or notion utilizing multiple sense modalities and in a variety of methods. Every
topic covered on the schedule offers the chance to educate language or communication skills in one
way or another.

Both personality and situation play a pivotal role in an individual’s coping with a stressful
encounter. Therefore, in the scenario of the coping strategies implemented by learners with HI at
Henry Murray school for the deaf, these children can implement different strategies as per
challenges they face depending on their personality differences. It is important to note that, coping
strategies can be individualized and what works for one student might not work for another
2.1.5 The possible solutions to the challenges faced by students with H.I to improve their
learning process.

In accordance with the studies done by (Kroll 2003) there are two major components that are most
indispensable for refining students’ writing skills in any writing task include: the provision of
comment on students’ written coursework and assessment. In addition, (Omulando 2009) proclaims
that teaching and learning resources augment teaching and learning process in writing Standard
English language. This improves the development of the writing skills of students and enables them
scoring favorable academic performance. Regionally, a study carried out Wezzie.S, Fayiah. M and
Gwayi. S in the Journal World Journal of Vocational Education and Training on challenges faced
by learners with H.I. The researchers were trying to address the challenge of inadequate specialized
teachers, efforts should be made to raise awareness about the needs and rights of H.I learners. This
can help garner support and resources for their education and encourage more individuals to pursue
carriers in the field. A study carried out by (Mpofu.J and Chimhenga. S,2023) figure out solutions
to a challenge of inadequate specialized teachers. In Joint forces with Sign Language Interpreters, it
is essential to establish a constructive connection to ensure active communication and inclusion for
schoolchildren with hearing impairment or hard of earshot. This can be done by discussing lesson
strategies, resources, and new jargon or ideas. This aids the translator to formulate and guarantee
the correct explanation that goes in line with the actual meaning or context. The teacher and
interpreter ought to position themselves strategically and launch signs for turn-taking throughout
discussions. Sharing of teaching materials in advance helps to avoid disruptions during the lesson.
This includes such materials as presentations, handouts, or any other reading resources with the
translator to train with the content and prepare other additional pictorial aids or alterations if
required. Facilitation of team-work also helps in the clarification of roles to play, what to expect,
encouraging the translator to deliver feedback on their basic understanding of the content but with
the same context, and creating a comprehensive environment where the interpreter is also
recognized as an appreciated team affiliate. Allowing the processing time such as pausing after
asking questions or handing out instructions helps to guarantee that all pupils, as well as those
relying solely on sign language interpretation, to have enough time to appreciate and answer.
Seeking feedback and open adjustments in form of regular communication with the explainer about
communication efficiency and the student's learning experience can provide valuable intuitions.
Professional development and training are also another strategy that helps out in the academic
process of the hearing-impaired students. Participating in specialized advancing opportunities
towards working with sign language translators helps to improve approaches, intensification of
awareness of the accessibility needs, and improve alliance with transcribers in the teaching space.

2.2 Theoretical Framework

Hearing impairment has been thought-out widely over years and numerous philosophies have been
used in trying to explain and explore various ideas of assistance. A set of the theories that will be
applied and aid in this research will be presented are, the social model of disability, the
transactional model of stress and coping and the cultural-historical activity theory as follows.

2.3-1 The Social Model of Disability

This Model of Disability is an important framework when examining challenges faced by students
with disabilities hence this will help out in this study of leaners with hearing impairment. This
model suggests that disability is caused by barriers in society that exclude or limit participation of
people with impairments, rather than the impairments themselves. Some key scholars who helped
develop this perspective include (Mike Oliver 1983) who helped articulate the Social Model
approach, arguing that disability is the drawback or a limiting factor of the activity triggered by a
modern social system. (Len Barton 1989) discussed how the built environment, attitudes, and
institutions can disable people rather than their impairments, he highlighted that this is an
oppression of people with disabilities. (Alan Roulstone and Carol Thomas 2002) critiqued the
medical model for locating “problems” within individuals and called for a Social Model analysis of
disabling practices in education instead. (Tom Shakespeare 2013) summarized main ideas of
disability as being the contact between the nature of a person’s physique and features of the social
and physical environment. Looking at challenges through this lens may reveal environmental,
systemic, or societal barriers that contribute to difficulties that the students encounter beyond their
hearing loss itself. Their experiences are crucial evidence for enacting positive changes

By applying the social model of disability to learners with H.I, educational institutions and society
can work towards creating inclusive and accessible learning environments that recognize and
address the societal barriers that these learners face, promoting their full participation and
educational success.

2.3.2 Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT)

This model is mainly based on the researches done by Vygotsky, and the studies are of the view
that the students with special needs, despite of all other limiting factors, however they can be
assisted in the special needs program in the school scenery. Vygotsky’s overall theory is well
known in the western nations as “Cultural-Historical Activity Theory” and this special theory of his
is called the theory of "Disontogenesis”. Cultural-Historical Activity Theory is a very common
theory in special needs education, established by (Vygotsky 1978). This model is a theoretical
framework that helps the schoolchildren with special needs including those with hearing
impairment. The model has its stages in students’ assistance as defined by Vygotsky:

 Rehabilitation and education of the individuals with disabilities

According to Vygotsky, a learner's disability's severity or category may not have a significant
impact on how effective compensatory measures are. The most notable support of this idea is
found in Vygotsky's work with children who are visually and hearing impaired. Suitability in
methodology is more important than anything else. Vygotsky's notion that the advancement of
higher psychological functions can serve as the most effective means of compensating for the
loss or inadequacy of natural functions was inventive. Although natural abilities like vision,
hearing, motor skills, and many more may be compromised, the primary goals of rehabilitation
therapy must encompass cultural abilities like cognitive reasoning, logical memory, voluntary
attention, and goal-directed behavior. Vygotsky pierced through limitations of ancient sensory-
motor working out, claiming that pure natural reimbursement such that more hearing in
individuals who are visually-impaired has been an exemption rather than the rule, while the
sphere of higher psychological activities has no restrictions as he claimed that, "Training
sharpness of hearing in the person with visual-impairment has natural restrictions; reward
through the strong point of the mind in form of thoughts, cognition and memorization, has
practically no bounds" (Vygotsky, 1978).
 Since signs can differ while yet having the same meaning, denotation is more significant than
signs. In order to accommodate the unique way that a kid with a handicap acculturates by
acquiring new symbolic systems, Vygotsky (1978) pointed out that our culture has already
evolved many approaches, such as lipreading, finger writing, sign language, and braille reading.
Finally, he proposed that it should continue to develop new "psychological tools" in order to
address various demands. This argument is more persuasive than ever, even though it was made
long before sophisticated electronics and computers were invented.

This theory is relevant and is connected to my study in the following ways:

My research and Vygotsky's both focus on enhancing the learning of individuals with
disabilities, particularly those who are hearing challenged. His recommendations included a
variety of methods, including lip-reading, sign language, and total communication. Based on my
research with respondents, I was able to uncover similar issues and recommendations for how to
enhance learning for kids with hearing impairments by utilizing these resources.
Vygotsky focused on how to advance education system to the students with disability for
example hearing impaired and my study find out the challenges in the learning of the students
with hearing-impairment and aim to find the ways on the improvement based on the same tools
as Vygotsky.

Both my study and CAT emphasizes the role of mediation, including the use of tools and
technologies, in facilitating learning. Learners with H.I often rely on the use of hearing
assistances, cochlear implantations to access auditory information. The utilization of these
technologies can impact positively on the learning outcomes, thereby yielding positive results.
This implies that, there however is a bond between mine and Vygotsky’s work which led to the
use as theoretical framework.

2.4 Knowledge gap

The existing literature on challenges faced by learners with H.I offers valuable insights on solutions
and coping strategies. Nevertheless, they fall short in some respects. Most of these studies are carried
out in developed countries with urban settings from institutionalized settings ignoring the rural set-up
of Morgenster area. The researcher firmly believes that providing hearing-impaired elementary school
pupils with an appropriate education is a difficult task. This is due to the fact that children are not
receiving the encouraging environment they need to be able to handle the fiercely competitive,
intricate, and quickly evolving world of science and technology. As per the 2007 Zimbabwean
Education Policy, students with special needs are presently positioned in various circumstances that
impede their ability to acquire efficient learning methods and effective coping strategies, such as
stigmatisation and poorly qualified teachers.

2.5 Chapter summary

The major focus on chapter two was a review of the literature from earlier on studies by various
researchers on the challenges faced by learners with H.I and other forms of disabilities. The main
focus in this chapter, was on the concepts that help out to explain HI, theories that help to explain
disability issues such as the Social Model of Disability, the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory. This
chapter also looked at the knowledge gap, which highlights why this particular topic is worth
researching by the investigator.

CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction

This chapter outlines the techniques and protocols employed in the investigation to evaluate the
difficulties associated with instructing and learning for students with hearing impairments. This
chapter had the consideration of study paradigm, research design, type of population, sample with
sampling techniques, data gathering instrument, data scrutinizing, ethical consideration, reliability
and credibility, chapter outline, time frame, budget, and references.

3.2 Research Approach

(Kivunja and Kuyini 2017) describes research approach as the general stratagem or plan of action
that researchers adopt to conduct their studies and investigate specific research questions or
problems. In this case, the researcher used qualitative research approach. According to (Creswell &
Creswell, 2018), qualitative research-approach focuses on understanding and interpreting social
phenomena through the collection and interpreting of non-numerical data such as interviews. In this
study, the researcher used inductive approach so as to collect in-depth data and explore individual
experiences and perspectives. (Muzata and Kumatongo, 2021) are of the view that qualitative
research approach aims to gain insights into meanings, experiences and perspectives of individuals
or group.

3.3 Research Design

Interpretive Phenomenological analysis (IPA)

In order to get insight into the lived experiences of the learners with hearing impairments, the IPA
will be utilized in this study. According to Maykutt (1994), a study's design is determined by the
data analysis techniques the researcher plans to employ. An investigator selects an overall plan to
integrate the many study methods in a coherent and logical fashion, ensuring an efficient means of
addressing the research issues. A research design is necessary in order to use reliable and pertinent
information while making decisions. When researching a subject, time, accessibility, and budgetary
limitations must all be taken into account. (Leister, 1999) contends that phenomenological
investigations offer in-depth observations of specific experiences, in contrast to survey research,
which is typically stated to allow for direct generalization. The research design is important because
it allows the researcher to address new issues regarding the behavior of nurses who seek mental
health services and coping strategies. Since an individual's worldview serves as a primary source of
knowledge in phenomenology, in-depth interviews are frequently used in this field. Jantti and Cox
(2011) stated that phenomenological research is more concerned with description than with
interpretation. Nevertheless, there are limitations to phenomenology in this research, such as the
interpretation of data regarding issues with the learners' educational processes that occurred during
the study. Moreover, the research approach necessitates conducting in-depth interviews, which could
be costly and time-consuming. This study focuses on the culture of a group (hearing-impaired),
which includes shared characteristics, language, practices, structure, and values; thus, it is
ethnographic.

3.4 Target Population

With reference to (Enon 1995), population refers to the people that a researcher has in mind from
whom he/she will obtain information. In this set piece, the target population was all the people
within the parameters who in this study consisted of 247 learners with H.I, 34 teachers as well as
school head at Henry Murray school for the Deaf. (Sidhu 2013) defines population as a collection of
individuals or objects known to have similar characteristics. This type of populace was chosen
because they fit within the scope of H.I learners and teachers dealing with learners with hearing
impairment to provide the primary information needed for the study.

3.5 Sampling and Sampling technique

According to (Moore D.1996) sample refers to the people who will be selected as participants to be
involved in research. Since researcher’s accessible population appeared to consist of 247 students
and 35 teachers, the researcher opted to select only 10 students and 4 teachers, 5 male students and 5
female students as well as 2 male teachers and 2 female teachers to participate in the investigations.
Purposive sampling was considered the most appropriate in choosing the participants according to
the type of research. The researcher chose those H.I learners who are older and have stayed for more
years 7-10 years at Henry Murray Primary school for the Deaf and teachers who have worked for at
least five years. The teachers are the direct observers of these learners so they are much familiar with
the problems as well as the solutions to these challenges that they face .The researcher with the help
of an interpreter chooses the best students who are good in English to represent the population
Participants who possessed these qualities, according to the researcher, were familiar with the
circumstances at Henry Murray Primary School and could offer extensive data regarding the
difficulties that students with hearing impairments faced while attending.
3.6 Research Instruments

According to Andrew J. (2000), instruments are the tools used in research to gather data. A
methodology or approach for gathering data is called a tool. The kind of research design will
determine the appropriate tool to utilize (Enon, 1995). For that matter, the researcher employed
interviews in this study. According to Hogle and Sweat (1996), the most significant contribution of
qualitative research to our understanding of human behavior is its ability to capture what individuals
say in their own words. Through interviews, the researcher was able to comprehend the difficulties
faced by students with HI when they were learning.
 3.6.1 Interviews

According to Lindsay (2007), the interview method entails spoken or oral discussion, with the
researcher acting as the interviewer and the sample respondents serving as the interviewees. In this
instance, an interpreter who is proficient in sign language assisted the interviewer in conducting the
interview. Structured interviews provide responses that are predetermined, while semi-structured
interviews are more open-ended and permit greater latitude for individual responses than structured
interviews (Enon, 1995). Semi-structured interviews were used by the interviewer in this instance.
Face-to-face communication between participants in the technique results in self-report. The
interviewees' responses were taped and subsequently examined. This method is advantageous
because it gives a detailed account of what is being discussed which in this case are challenges faced
by learners with H.I in their learning process at Henry Murray and is quite flexible. The interview
guide for teachers of HI learners, students who are hearing impaired will be found in the Appendices
section of this study.

(Patton 2002) elaborates that the interview guide represents the following advantages:

It serves as a basic checklist during the interview to ensure that all relevant topics and questions are
exploited according to participants’ needs and interests, which can increase relevance and usefulness
of data. Interviews permit scholars to acquire rich and comprehensive data from the participants’
peculiar opinions and terminologies, which can disclose their frame of mind, inspirations, and
denotations

These are steered with four experts selected on the basis of their experience in serving hearing
impaired students from Henry Murray school. The key informants are expected to provide
information on the notable challenges that are faced by the leaners with hearing impairment as they
are the principal observers of the hearing-impaired students, have knowledge of the present-day
policies on hearing impairment and the coping strategies thereof and provided suggestions to
improve service delivery to students with HI.

3.7 Data collection procedure

Data collection procedure refer to the systematic methods and techniques used to gather data for
research, analysis, or any other purpose (Fink,1995). First and fore-most before the researcher
collected data, she visited the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education provincial offices in
Masvingo with an application letter from Midlands State University showing her intentions. She was
authorized to conduct the research. She then proceeded to Henry Murray where she introduced
herself and familiarize possible participants which in this case are learners with HI with the support
from the sign language interpreters with the study and invited them to participate while ensuring
them with confidentiality and data was captured through interviews.

3.8 Data Analysis

Data analysis, according to Enon (1995), is the act of looking over the information gathered for the
study and drawing conclusions and deductions. In order to create the categories and themes that
served as the foundation for the study, demographic information from interview schedules was first
coded. The researcher will analyze the data gathered, transcribed it from in-depth interviews
manually and thereafter, identify emerging themes and sub themes in order to create initial
categories. Through this process a central experience will emerge, and the data can be easily
categorized into more specific sub themes. Therefore, the study shall use thematic data analysis of
qualitative approach. The researcher will identify, analyze, and interpret themes within qualitative
data using research questions.

3.8.1 Thematic Analysis

According to Denzin and Lincoln (2000), the process of determining the main themes and
conclusions of narrative data is known as thematic breakdown. The researcher will be able to find
any recurrent topics in the interview transcripts. Thematic analysis's assessment of the interview
data's themes will help with research questions like the difficulties faced by students with H.I. This
study will support the inductive methodology of data breakdown, in which themes are identified
based on information obtained through a qualitative method. The researcher will follow the six main
processes of data analysis—familiarization, cyphering, topic creation, evaluation, defining, and
theme naming—as well as any additional sub steps.

3.9 Ethical Considerations

(Cox and Abbott 2004) describe ethical considerations as connected with beliefs and principles
about what is right and wrong. Ethical topics are cardinal in research world and should be upheld
fully when carrying out research. By so doing all stake holders are assured of confidentiality and that
all data will be used solely for the purpose of the study. Furthermore, anonymity is observed too in
order to allow all participants to be free with the researcher. In view of this, the participants are
asked not to indicate or have their names recorded anywhere to avoid victimization by all means.
Apart from this, the researcher is going to enlighten the respondents that they are at liberty to
withdraw from participating in the study at any point in time whenever they feel uncomfortable to
continue as research respondents. The exercise of participation is purely voluntarily. The researcher
will seek approval from Midlands State University (MSU) to conduct the research and ethical
authorization from the university's ethics and evaluation committee. In order to ensure ethical, safe,
and valid research practices, the investigator will uphold these values as expected by the Research
Council of Zimbabwe. Ethics, according to Vadum and Rankin (1998), is a system of moral
convictions that serve as a second-hand guide for moral judgements about behaviour and
interpersonal interactions. When doing human-centred social research, researchers follow a set of
ethical guidelines.

3.10 Chapter Summary

This chapter examines the research methodology, research design, target population, sample, and
sampling strategies applied to the study. It also examines the research tool that was employed during
the investigation. This chapter essentially presents the research methodology.

CHAPTER FOUR:
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS & INTERPRETENTION

4.1 INTRODUCTION

This episode, 4 presents qualitative outcomes grouped from the research participants relating to the
academic challenges faced by the learners with hearing impairment at Henry Murray. The process
was collected through semi-structured interviews; hence the investigator shall deliver the findings
in accordance with the participants’ response set of view.
 4.2 CHARACTERISTIC OF PARTICIPANTS

The study was carried out in Masvingo Province, at Henry Murray school and the participants were
watchfully and carefully chosen depending on the age of the leaners with hearing impairment, and
their ages were ranging from 15 - 18 years and since the leaners must attend the same grade for two
years and move on to the next grade hence this is a big difference with regular schools. The study
was carried during midday. A total of eight participants from the leaners, four females and four
males were chosen and interviewed with each member having a different view of his or her
problems they are currently facing in terms of academics, coping strategies and possible solutions
they think can be put in place to counter such problems. From the carefully chosen teacher
interpreters, 4 participants were 2 male and 2 female teachers. An Interview guide was used and all
in all, a total of 14 participants were carefully selected to play a part in this study and the names,
other personal information of the participants was withheld to make even with our ethical standards
principle of confidentiality.

The table above, is a demonstration of the demographic information of the research participants who
managed to partake during this study. The Leaners with hearing impairment, who participated in the
study ranged from 14 to 18 years of age. The study uncovered that outside of the participant, overally
the leaners are 247 and 147 are girls whereas 101 are boys which shows that females are the most
dominant populace at Henry Murray primary school. Also, the information above presents different
occupations of the participants whereby 4 are from the teaching staff and 10 are the leaners with
hearing impairment from Henry Murray school. The table indicates the age, gender and occupation of
the participants and the total number of them sum up to 14. The following age of the participants itself
shows how the leaners with hearing impairment differ with the regular schools as the ages are for high
school when it comes to regular schools hence there are more challenges, they are facing academically
due to their failure to hear. Some of the participants at the teachers’ section, age and occupation is not
the correct one to protect the privacy of the staff at the school thus it is all the same.

4.3 Problems met by leaners with hearing-impairment

Findings related to the challenges faced by Leaners with hearing impairment.
As previously mentioned, hearing loss is a condition that provokes cognition; as such, a person with
hearing loss is likely to experience difficulties. These issues can include issues with thinking,
language, social and emotional development, and academic performance.

Student 5

“Mainly here at school we face a variety of challenges at school that include language difficulty,
communication is not much effective with our peers as some take time to adopt our methods of
communication”

Teacher 3

At school, as it is that even in regular schools that students face different challenges and also reach
their aptitude differently academically and socially as it is here at school. Our students mostly are
affected by institutional problems, social and academic which limit a lot of things in their progress in
life that is it takes a lot of time that is why they spend two years in the same grade and also, we have
ages up to 24 in primary school unlike regular schools.

Language difficulty and reading problems -

Affected Learners with hearing loss lose their innate capacity to learn oral language, which may
impede their development. According to Bakare (1979) in the literature review, perception is the first
major cognitive activity, and a hearing-impaired student's faults in their hearing organ result in a
deficit in their language skill development continuum. A person with hearing loss was once frequently
tested for both speech and hearing impairments, signifying that the person was deaf or hard of hearing.
These days, numerous other investigations, including this one, contribute to revealing the intricacy of
the interaction between speaking and hearing.

Student 4
“Normally it is hard for us to cope with languages especially when earning new languages. Normally,
we learn how to read through pictures, reading cards, video captions and also interaction ith a
variety of books.”

Teacher 1

"Class discussions are hard when the student’s interpreters have to take turns translating for
everyone. Sometimes, I try giving them class notes in advance or allowing extra response time. I think
a radio aid could help them to follow conversations better"

Poor Interpretation of Information and following new topic introduction

In most cases the students fail to come up with the real meaning of the of the things taught in class and
also, they encounter so countless challenges when it comes to changing to new topics especially when
the teacher avoids direct contact/ face to face interaction

Student 3

“Nguva zhinji chinonyatsonetsa kuteerera zvatinenge tanzi tiite uye nzira dzatinofanira kuteedzera
pamaititro ezvidzidzo zvedu zvese uye pazvidzidzo nekusiyana kwazvo kana chimwe chapera nyanyise
kubva panechimwe chitsauko kuenda pane chimwe”

“It is sometimes difficult to follow instructions, especially when give fundamentals and outlines only
or linking topics without informing the us. Some do not give sequence frameworks so most of the
times I do not know when one topic ends and another begins”

Teacher 3

"The hearing-impaired students in my class struggle mostly with new vocabulary. While I provide
pictures and gestures, it is still difficult. They fall behind peers on assignments involving a lot of new
words. I wish I knew more signs to better communicate complex ideas to help them out."
Social and expressive problems:

Hearing-impaired students' social integration in the classroom typically hinges on whether or not their
classmates think highly enough of them to invite them to participate actively in discussion or project
groups. Due to a number of annoying issues, such as delayed language development, a child with
hearing loss is inevitably less advanced socially than a child with normal hearing at the same age.
Research by Obizeze and Ofojebe (2000) in the literature review demonstrates that they are
accustomed to and deeply anxious in their interpersonal relationships since, in the majority of
situations, they are uncertain about others' comprehension of their sign language. This have revealed
that the hearing-impaired students have an obvious boundless degree of emotional instability than their
normal peers in regular schools.

Teacher 4:
"Some of the students, struggles when other students talk over each other as they get frustrated for not
following conversations. I am trying small group discussions instead of whole class to make it less
overwhelming, so far they seem more comfortable sharing ideas this way."

Teacher 2:
"Students, get really discouraged when he/she misses chunks of instructions because no one was
facing her. I make sure to repeat directions and check they understand before starting activities.

Intellectual and academic accomplishment:

The hearing-impaired Leaners, due to lack of aural experience have their intellectual development
defective when compared with the hearing children.

Teacher 3

"Direct interference with intellectually performing, indirectly affect thinking by blocking normal
patterns of perceptive stimulation and relational communication and interaction”.

Teacher 2
“They show low self-esteem academically direct support like tutors, feedback in preferred language
could boost confidence. Ensure standards accessible.”

Deficiency of Expert Teaching and Learning Resources and supporting devices

In Zimbabwe, there is a shortage of qualified teachers, which presents another challenge. In addition,
students with hearing impairments frequently find it difficult to receive a quality education due to a
lack of appropriate teaching and learning tools, such as educational gadgets. According to this study,
instructors' biggest obstacle when it comes to providing learners with hearing impairments with a
suitable education is a lack of relevant resources. Additionally, the study discovered that the particular
support services provided to students with special needs in schools, such as the availability of assistive
devices, are insufficient. More than half of educators claimed that no such services were offered.

Teacher 2

"I feel out of my depth meeting children’s’ needs, to be honest. Without more training on strategies
like visual supports, I worry I am not setting them up for success. Any resources or collaborating with
specialist teachers would help me help them."

Teacher 3

"My biggest challenge is assessing thier homework when they can't call out answers naturally. I never
know if issues are due to understanding or communication barriers. I wish we had tools to better
evaluate class progress in an equitable way."

Poor “IT” and reading skills by Hearing Impaired Learners

Teachers presume that their students can read and comprehend information on their own after
assigning readings from textbooks and other sources as part of courses. But a lot of H.I. pupils don't
come to school with this presumptive level of reading ability. Because of this, students might not be
able to achieve the requirements set by their instructor in terms of independently gleaning knowledge
from their readings, as one respondent put it. Also, some claimed that they cannot use cellphones or
even computers effectively.
Student

Pazvinhu zvizhinji zvatinoita muzvidzido zvedu, zvimwe zvacho hazvinzwiki asi tinotarisirwa kuti
panguva yekunyora bvunzo dzedu kana basa ratinenge Tapiwa tigone kuisa mhinduro dzakafanira
sedzinodikanwa “

Student

“Mosly here at school it is not easy for us to cope up with it” tools as they consider one to be more
effective in the reading skills”

Shortage of Hearing Supports

This indicates that Henry Murray Primary School for the Deaf has a severe scarcity of hearing aids for
students with hearing impairments, and that this has a negative influence on their academic
performance. Since kids won't be able to hear sounds without the aids, learning will be little or
nonexistent. As a result, in order for the kids to hear and understand what is being said to them, the
professors must repeat their comments more than once. Owing to a lack of funding, students at the
school acknowledged that finishing the curriculum on time is challenging and that it interferes with
their ability to make up for lost elementary school credits.

Student 7

Kushota kwezvimwe zvingatibatsirawo kuti zvidzidzo zvedu zvinzwisisike kukukanganisa zvakanyanya

mabatiro edu zvidzidzo uye zvinotora Nguva yakawanda sekuti vamwe vanenge vasina kunzwisisa
varairidzi vanenge vachifanira kudzokera kumasure kuti tifambirane pamwe”

“This disturbs our learning in that we fail to effectively understand what the teacher is saying if we are
not using the hearing aids during the teaching and learning process”

Teacher: “Though the provisions of hearing aid are not constant, yet most students misplace their
hearing aid or even destroy them before the next supplies are available”.

Communication breakdown with colleagues

The study also revealed that communication barrier with the people close in the school was another
challenge facing learners with hearing impairments at Henry Murray primary school for the deaf.
Student 3

“Fresher hearing-impaired pupils who have just joined the school often have a difficult time adjusting
to school life. Most of us we used to feel lonely as we were not able to interact with our peers”

Teacher 1

"Chido misses so much when she can't read lips, it must be frustrating. I have started recording
lessons so she can review later with captions. It seems to be helping fill in information she misses in
the moment."

Student 5

„This Communication issue block us opportunities to talk and share skill with our “regular‟ friends
since they cannot get what we will be saying.

Teacher

"Transitioning between classes is really hard. Some students miss instructions if I do not write them
down. We are working on strategies like visual schedules, but it is a work in progress. They seem
more comfortable when the interpreter is with them consistently."

This leads to the conclusion that communication between students with disabilities and their
communities is hampered by the lack of adequate hearing aids and qualified language and sign
teachers in schools. This circumstance has an impact on students' education because learning happens
not just in the classroom but also via interactions with other students and staff members. Thus,
communication barrier leads to a retarded social learning.

Teacher 2

Kudzidza hakungotarisirwe kunge munhu achidzidza pazvidzidzo chete asi kuti mukusanganwo
nevamwe vechidiki vemazera vachidzidza kuyanana, tsika nemagariro anotarisirwa uye zvimwe
zvinowanzonzwisisika kana vemazera mamwechete vachidzidzisana pachavo nemaznzwisisiro avo
zvinhu.
“Learning happens outside of the classroom as well; one can learn by engaging with those in their
immediate environment. They are therefore missing out on a great deal of knowledge from our other
students as a result of this communication barrier.”

Social Discrimination by the Community

The survey also showed that one of the biggest obstacles that the students experienced was the
community's unfavorable attitude towards pupils who had hearing problems. In turn, these negative
attitudes led to behaviors like isolation, anxiety, and self-pitying thoughts. Some students find it
difficult to focus on their schoolwork because of these emotions.

Teacher 3

"Issues tend to come up more on field trips or assemblies where it's loud and there's no interpreters
provided. Chenai sits with me but misses so much. The school really needs a plan for including our
deaf students in all activities."

Student 7

Mukurarama tinosangana nezvakawanda fanike pane vanogonakutaura vazhinji vavo vanofunga kuti
tinodada, kana kuti titori mitoro asi tinotodawo kutaura nevamwe vese asi kuti ivo havakwanise
kunzwisisa zvatinotaura uyewo isusu zvinotinetsa kunzwa zvinotora

“Since we cannot interconnect or interrelate with other individuals in the society, they contemplate
that we are insolent, malevolent, pride and bad luck or even just burden to society but we are not bad
people at all as we need to interact but due to certain conditions such as communication skills, and
mostly others do not understand sign language hence creating a breach.

It is not uncommon for some Zimbabweans to have a bad attitude towards those with disabilities.
Students' capacity to focus in class is impacted by this attitude, which also has an impact on their
moral and emotional development. The already underprivileged pupils become irate when they
encounter unfavorable views, are rejected by their peers, and are called a burden to society.

Student 10
“There are some really kind neighbors who we get along with. They believe that having a hearing
impairment does not mean one's life is over and that, with the right education, we can all contribute to
society. Aside from that, they always say hello to us and occasionally give us presents in the form of
clothes and food.”

In keeping with the foregoing, a study in the literature (Kabuta 2014) claims that persons with
disabilities have been the most socially mistreated groups in society. UNICEF (2013) supports this
claim by pointing out that disabled people face a variety of kinds of exclusion. People with disabilities
are affected differently by society, culture, and location, and they are particularly vulnerable in
underdeveloped nations.

Scarcity of Teaching Staff

It was discovered throughout the research that Henry Murray only employs 35 teachers to instruct 247
students who have been hearing challenges. Thirty-five of the educators were on study leaves at
various colleges to further their education. As of the time this study was conducted, only 30 teachers
were expected to instruct 247 pupils. As a result, the student-teacher ratio increased to 1: 7.

“As we, the educators are very scarce and yet some of our colleagues go on training leave, sick leave,
and also other various life events that need immediate attention. This circumstance has further more
heavy burden for us to a point that we miss the mark to far-reaching the syllabus on time”.

The attendance of inadequate teaching staff, have compromised the quality of education in the center.
However, mostly teachers prefer abscond teaching in disabled centers because of the workload and
special skills required to teach in these schools.

Desertion by Parents & Families

According to the research, some parents and relatives are using Henry Murray Primary School for the Deaf as a
place to dump their hearing-impaired children. Since being transported to the school, some Henry Murray
students have said that their parents and other family members have never come back to visit them or taken
them home for the holidays. Certain parents' attitudes have caused psychological issues for certain students and
placed a heavy financial strain on the centre. Additionally, some parents demand the school pick up their kids
from school on holidays, even though the school does not have a car. As a result, the majority of students reside
in the school's dorm throughout their academic careers, placing additional financial strain on the administration
of the institution.

Student 7

“Nemamiriro anomboita zvinhu pano pachikoro dzimwe dzenguva ndombofunga kuti takauya kuzorasirwa
pano nekuti kunyange vabereki vedu nerhama havauyewo kuzotiona zvakakwana uyewo nguva dzekutorwa
kuzvikoro kana zvavharwa unozosarotorwa watoorawo moyo nekumirira. Sevamwewo totodawo kudiwa
nemhuri dzedu tichiita zvinhu pamwe asi izvi zvinoita tifunge kuti hatisi chibatsiro kwavari saka vachizotiisa
kure navo

“It appears that our family does not want us to live with them in the villages because we might be a burden to
them; for example, they do not visit to pick us up when the holiday draws near. We believe that they view our
presence at home as a burden and that Henry Murray serves as a landfill, which explains why they refuse to
pick us up around the holidays. This means that we have to stay at school, which makes life difficult. We also
feel like we are a burden to the school since they have to feed us throughout the holidays, and most of all, we
need family support and care. This has a detrimental effect on our education because we believe that if our own
parents and relatives do not value and want us, then nothing we accomplish is worthwhile, and our education is
likewise worthless since we will eventually be viewed as worthless members of society. This idea has a
significant impact on our academic achievement.”

Incompetency of teachers in sign-language

According to the responses, deaf students cannot comprehend what is being taught in class because of
teachers who are not proficient in sign language. In this instance, they had to rely on questioning other
pupils about the issue and what was required.

Teacher 1

“However, some common students lack the necessary abilities and understanding, thus others have
either neglected to assist them or have mislead them.”

Inadequate Funding
In an interview with one of the heading teachers at Henry Murray school for the deaf, one of the
senior teachers pointed out that the institute is incompetently funded. He went on to say that the
budget provision for the year can been slashed to the usual amount allocated to them.

Teacher 1

“Numerous issues have resulted from the reduction in funding. For instance, the lack of funds to buy
the required quantity of teaching supplies means that the supply is insufficient. Because of this,
students lack the necessary balanced learning resources.”

Zimbabwe, which is ranked among the least developed countries in the world, struggles to receive
adequate money from the government for nearly every area, and Henry Murray Primary School for the
Deaf is no different. Zimbabwe has a difficult economic state and is largely dependent on foreign
donors to fund its annual national budget. Aside from the Research Site Primary School for the Deaf,
other educational establishments deal with this issue on an annual basis.

Examinations and academic performance

One unfavorable factor that can cause students to take longer to understand examination inquiries is
hearing loss. Even though English is the primary language for HI students, examination papers employ
English as the medium of instruction. This makes answering examination questions difficult, as the
quotes below illustrate.

Student 8

“Pazvidzidzo zvangu zvese chirungu chinonyanyisa kundinetsa nekuti pakutaura tinowanzoshandisa

sign zvinova zvinotadzisa kunzwisisa kana pava pakunyora bvunzo dzedu kana basa ratinenge
Tapiwa.”

“I use sign language to communicate, thus I'm not very good at English. As a result, I have trouble
comprehending questions on tests and completing the required work.”

Student 9
“It is very hard when it comes to examinations because English is the universal language so if one has
challenges in understanding it thus, they always fail to understand the instructions or even
misinterpret the work”

Student 10

Mostly our struggle in the exams is on understanding numbers especially when it comes to complex
mathematics that require various stages to solve and also understanding the requirements of each and
every sign is such a harder task because it’s too much.”

4.4 THE COPING STRATEGIES TO THE CHALLENGES FACED BY THE

LEARNERS WITH H.I.

The results of the study showed that the strategies employed to address the academic and psycho-
social challenges faced by hearing-impaired students in the school are at an average level, and the
level of support that parents and teachers provide to these students is insufficient to address their needs
in terms of their capacity to meet their academic, social, and psychological needs. These issues are
common among students with hearing impairments, and strategies that limit these students' problems
are necessary.

Effective use of hearing aids

Student 1

“Sezvo ndine ma hearing aids aya ndinogara ndakaaisa munzeve kuti ndikwanise kunzwa
zvirikudzidziswa nemudzidzisi, asi kunyangwe zvakadaro vana vadiki kwatiri havakwanisi
kuashandisa zvakanaka uye vamwe vacho Havana”

The student said that she utilizes the effective usage of listening devices which helps the learner to
hear clearly though some of the peers in lower grades does not know how to use them.

Coming up with strategic class siting positions

In trying to counter the challenges faced by the hearing-impaired schoolchildren, the teachers make
use of a strategic siting position that allows everybody to see the actions, interpretations of sign
language as well as enabling all communication methods available to be at work during the course of
their studies.

Teacher 4

“At times those who work using reading of lips mostly are put at the front line and also the sitting
positions are strategic in that they allow each and every student to see, to enable all the
communication methods to be at work during lessons for example reading of lips, sign language,
interpretation”

Problem-focused Intervention
This includes the strategy of mainly focusing on the problem at hand for a solution for example when
a student is facing challenges in a certain area, this calls for a strategic intervention in addressing the
root causes of the challenges

Teacher 3:
" What I find most helpful, is seating the student who slowly cope and miss instructions a lot near me
at the front, so he/she can see my facial expressions and signs clearly. Pairing them with patient peers
for group work also boosts his/her confidence to participate. Normally, this only really helps the
students to come out of their shells!"

Emotion-focused Intervention
In most cases, the hearing-impaired students according to various studies discussed in the literature
they are so emotional when it comes to the failure to cope with the schooling environment, as well as
failure to get the instruction correctly. This also helps to secure a conducive learning environment for
the leaners and avoid such behaviors as violence at school and broken social ties

Teacher 2
"Students mostly miss so much when they can’t read lips, and in most cases it must be frustrating. I
have started recording lessons so that those who face the challenges in various areas can review later
with captions. It seems to be helping fill in information since they will be missing in the moment”
Meaning-focused efforts moderate stress responses

This implies that students find their own way to deal with stress, and the constraints that affect the
leaners with hearing impairment emotionally, physically, and socially that can lead to poor academic
outcomes. The stress might be as a result of being abandoned by relatives or failure to associate with
other peers.

Student 8

“Dzimwe nguva ndikashaya wekutaura naye Nyaya kana kuti ndikafunga zvakanyanya nekuda
kwekungosiiwa kwandakaitwa nevabereki nekuda kwehurema hwangu ndinotsvaga zvinondivaraidza
zvakaita sekufamba, kumhanya, pamwe nekutamba”

The learner postulated that, sometimes when he feels isolated with no-one to talk to, in-order to lower
the stress level, he will end up engaging to some relaxation techniques such as walking as well as
playing different games.

Use of Sign-Language Interpreters

To transfer information, a sign-language interpreter acts as a liaison between the instructor and the HI
student. The findings demonstrate the critical role that sign language interpreters—both in terms of
professionalism and competence—play in the educational process for HI students.

Student

"I have always needed an interpreter to work with me for work engagements, so having
one in class made my life much easier.”

4.5 THE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THE CHALLENGES FACED BY LEARNERS

WITH H.I.

SUITABLE RESOURCES AND SUPPORT SERVICES

Learners with hearing impairment require such support services for their learning to be effective in
their learning settings. Suitable facilities are needed such as:
  Group hearing Aids or loop inductions – There is need for hearing-aids, audiometers, equipments
for auditory exercise like noise makers, tympanometers for examination of the eardrum.

 Use of IT tools such as projectors when teaching to enable visual learning with captions hence
allowing the students to capture and interact with different terms and languages at a convenient
place. This also requires a resource room with equipment fitted at convenient positions that
allow all the leaners to see and interact with the learning systems.

 Computers – Use of “IT” tools is also important as it can improve the linguistic competencies of
the leaners with hearing impairment as through interaction with computers, they learn new
skills

 Human resources – There is need for teachers trained to offer such services as interpreting,
guidance, and counseling and also teachers specifically for those with hearing impairment.

CHAPTER FIVE:
DISCUSSIONS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Introduction

Three major recommendations are put forth in light of the findings. It is advised to start by raising
awareness of the difficulties faced by pupils with hearing impairments. It is hoped that people who
work with students who have hearing impairments will learn about the findings. In order to lessen
misconceptions and enable hearing-impaired students to feel included in the general student body, it is
also vital to improve the inclusion conditions of these students in schools alongside their hearing
classmates. Lastly, it is advised to offer clinical psychiatric services to lessen the behavioural
disturbances linked to hearing loss.

5.2 Discussion of the results

This subtopic provides an overview of the chapter with an emphasis on the objectives and aims of the
research. It will also discuss the findings linking them with the literature review as well as compare and
contrast findings and research questions. As a result, this part will outline the challenges faced by
learners with H.I and how do they affect their learning process, the coping strategies as well as
suggested solutions to these challenges.

5.2.1 Challenges met by learners with hearing-impairment

This study’s goal to determine the challenges faced by learners with HI at Henry Murray school for the
deaf and how has these challenges has affected their learning process. These challenges include
deficiency of specialized coaching and learning resources, inadequate specialized teachers, negative
attitudes, stigma, and myths held by society, in adequate funding, language difficult, social, and
emotional challenges, thinking and academic achievement, rejection by parents and guardians. The
findings clearly show that within the proportion of about 86 % of these learners has experienced these
vast challenges which led to poor performance in their academics. According to Okeke's (2001)
examination of the literature, "poor or lack of complex and abstract thinking will pose an important
risk to the child's academic aspirations if the children's hearing impairment is not upgraded." The
findings of this study support this assertion. The apprentices with hearing impairments believed that
the institute had failed to provide the necessary infrastructure and resources, as stated in the
institution's disability policy, to adequately accommodate housing that would enhance their
educational experience. The results demonstrated how important social integration was to an HI
student's experience at the school. Integration with peers, the facility, and the supervision personnel
appeared to be difficult because of things like a communication barrier, attitudes towards deafness,
and a lack of knowledge about the condition. The study also showed that the type of acquisition and
degree of deafness had an impact on how people interacted with their communities.

5.2.2 Coping strategies of the learners with hearing impairment

The study’s additional goal was to explore the coping strategies employed by these learners in-order to
deal with the problems they face in their learning process. To cope with these challenges, the findings
in chapter four revealed that these coping strategies are non-other than effective use of assistive
devices to enhance hearing while avoiding noise that may disrupt proper listening from the teacher,
sitting in front while facing the teacher for better visual aids such as facial expressions, lip reading as
well as gestures, engaging in some physical activities such as walking and running or even doing some
sporting activities helps learners to cope with stress as noted from the responses by some of the
learners who suffer stress due to abandonment by their relatives as well as the community at large due
to language and communication barrier. Notably, these coping strategies if applied properly with the
help of the teachers as they are the direct observers of these children will make a difference.

5.2.3 Possible solutions to the challenges faced by learners with hearing impairment

The study’s third goal was to come up with the solutions to the trials faced by learners with hearing
impairment at Henry Murray. Chapter Four's findings indicate that the next approach can be
implemented. The government should train and appoint more specialist teachers in sign language to
special schools in rural areas. It should also provide an alternative source of water to alleviate on-site
and neighbourhood water shortages. Finally, the community should be educated that disability is not
inability and that H.I students are also human beings. These are just a few of the suggested solutions.
The government, non-governmental organisations, other benefactors, and well-wishers should deliver
enough hearing aids.

5.3 Conclusions

To put it briefly, the main objective of this study was to investigate the difficulties that students with
hearing impairments encounter during the learning process. Based on the study's findings, it is clear
that Henry Murray Primary School for the Deaf H.I. students face a variety of difficulties there. These
difficulties include a lack of hearing aids, students' negligent handling of them, a communication gap
with the community, the community's unfavorable attitudes, a problem with the water supply,
insufficient funding, parents' and relatives' desertion of their children, and a teacher shortage.
Implementing special education programs for the disabled is hampered by the school's geographic
location. The school is located 40 kilometers away from Masvingo town which makes it difficult for
the donors to reach the place. The welfare and administration of Henry Murray Primary School are
impacted both directly and indirectly by Zimbabwe's economic circumstances. In order for students
with hearing impairments to succeed in the learning process going ahead, it will be necessary to
address the issues raised by the study and provide a supportive environment. The report makes the
following recommendations for the Zimbabwean government: increase financial support; guarantee
that all students with hearing impairments have access to basic hearing aids.
5.4 Recommendations

To the school

• Schools should allocate funds to provide basic teaching training to teachers and non-teaching staff.
This will facilitate communication and allow teachers to gain a deeper understanding of HI students
and tailor teaching and testing to suit them.

• There is a necessity to intensify human resources particularly sign language explainers who have
suitable educational skills; at least a minimum of a bachelor’s gradation as well as to provide
compensation corresponding to effort complete.

• Supplementary actions are a key portion of the inclusive school experience and should be reachable.
Making the school reachable will consist of such factors as guaranteeing explainers are offered at
events and goings-on, thus, permitting eloquent contacts between HI and hearing students, outside
formal learning situations.

• More research is needed on academics who are deaf and their academic experiences teaching
preschoolers. This will help identify existing gaps and ensure mandatory action for the education
sector.

The government

-The government and the health sector should ensure vow to accomplishment of newborn and infants’
hearing screening beforehand the age of 6 months of age to detect potential HI.

- Health care professionals should offer families and kids with HI an appropriate rehabilitation
programme that includes fittings for hearing aids, auditory training, and alternate forms of
communication based on the age, needs, and abilities of the children.

- creating a support network of parents who have gone through similar things in order to improve
coping mechanisms and boost the self-sufficiency of families with children who have HI.
- Health practitioners should provide mothers and their children in rehabilitation centres with periodic
counselling.

- The efforts of governmental and non-governmental organizations should be combined to support

families of children with HIV by giving them financial assistance, social support, and raising their
knowledge of the community services that are available.

- In order to foster positive ideas, the government should help the mass media highlight the social,
psychological, and physical needs of women raising children with HIV/AIDS. Additionally, role
models should be involved in educating society about this impairment.

- The government of Zimbabwe has implemented and reviewed pertinent laws pertaining to the
nation's disabled citizens. It is setting up systems to educate students with special needs in order to
overcome these obstacles. For example, the government of Zimbabwe has suggested constructing 150
resource centers throughout the nation to serve learners with special needs, as well as a special needs
institute to educate educators. Furthermore, the government has incorporated a special needs education
component within the six standard teaching institutions, emphasizing the importance of inclusion for
students with special needs. It has been noted in some schools in Masvingo district such as Nemanwa
that inclusion has already been introduced. The government also encourages parents to send their
children with SN to school since these parents deny their children because of disabilities which results
in the intervention of NGOs such as Social Welfare, JF Kapneck as well as CARE through door- to -
door outreach programmes.

The student.

-According to (Mzckall,2004), students with HI should use their other senses more to compensate for
their hearing loss thus use of visual aids as much as possible

- The student must seat closer to the chalkboard as well as away from the noisy places such as the door
in-order to have the best chance of hearing the teacher. If the student is wearing the hearing aids, then
the noise in the class can be heard as louder than it really is because the hearing aids increases the all
the sounds in the classroom hindering the child from hearing the teacher clearly.

5.5 Chapter Summary

This chapter discussed about the research findings about the challenges faced by learners with hearing
impairment at Henry Murray while refer back to the literature review, it was able to compare and
contrast findings and research questions as well as factors contributing to my results. Conclusions
were drawn according to each research question. Lastly recommendations were put in place which
targeted the student, the school, and the government at large.