Teachers’ Attitudes towards Inclusion of Blind or Partially-Sighted Students  in Secondary Schools in Nigeria

Paul Ajuwon; George Chitiyo; Liziana N Onuigbo; Adaka T Ahon; James E Olayi

doi:10.47985/dcidj.370

Teachers’ Attitudes towards Inclusion of Blind or Partially-Sighted Students in Secondary Schools in Nigeria

Authors

Paul Ajuwon Missouri State University
George Chitiyo Tennessee Technological University
Liziana N Onuigbo University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu State
Adaka T Ahon Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State
James E Olayi University of Calabar, Cross River State

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47985/dcidj.370

Keywords:

Inclusive education, perceptions of practitioners, visual impairment, disabilities, Africa

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigated the attitudes of secondary school teachers towards students with blindness or partial sight in selected states in Nigeria.

Method: The authors utilised the modified version of a previous instrument to collect data from 306 secondary school teachers in Nigeria. Six basic questions were established to address: respondents’ attitudes towards inclusion; training acquired related to teaching; knowledge pertaining to policy and legislation; confidence levels; impact of geographical location; and differences in attitudes by the variables of subject(s) taught, school level taught, and years of teaching experience.

Results: Attitudes of participants were mixed but generally indicated a positive trend. The level of training was low, with teachers showing limited knowledge of policy and legislation. A little over a quarter (27%) of them lacked confidence in teaching. There were differences in attitudes related to the geographical location of respondents. Those who taught at the senior secondary school level tended to have higher attitude scores on average than their counterparts at the junior secondary school level.

Conclusion and Limitations: This study used self-report measures, although observations and interviews could be additional ways to evaluate the attitudes of participants throughout the country. Moreover, in-service programmes should be implemented to increase the knowledge base and expand the experiences of teachers in line with established policies and legislation.

Author Biographies

Paul Ajuwon, Missouri State University

Paul M Ajuwon, Ph.D., CADFP, is a Professor in the Department of Counseling, Leadership & Special Education at Missouri State University, U.S.A. He has been training teacher-candidates nationally and internationally for over 20 years. His research interests and numerous publications relate to: inclusive education, stakeholders’ attitudes, Braille literacy and assistive technology, family quality of life, and special education leadership.

George Chitiyo, Tennessee Technological University

George Chitiyo, Ph.D., is Professor of Educational Research and Evaluation at Tennessee Tech University, Tennessee, U.S.A. His research interests include the psychosocial aspects of HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa as well as economics of health and higher education both in the US and in Southern Africa.

Liziana N Onuigbo, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu State

Dr. Liziana Onuigbo is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Education Foundations, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Anambra state, where she teaches Special Needs Education. She holds the MED and Ph.D. degrees in Special Education from the University of Nigeria, and belongs to a number of international and national academic bodies. She has numerous publications on a variety of topics to her credit.

Adaka T Ahon, Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State

Dr. Adaka T. Ahon is Lecturer at the Department of Special Education at the Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Previously, he taught at the Federal College of Education (Tech), Gombe State, Nigeria, and University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. He holds a Ph.D. degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Dr. Ahon is a member of several editorial teams, and has co-edited several books and published numerous articles in reputable journals.

James E Olayi, University of Calabar, Cross River State

Dr. James Eburikure Olayi is a senior lecturer in special needs education at the University of Calabar, Nigeria, where he has worked for several years. His research interests include: Inclusive education, parental attitudes, and braille literacy. Dr. Olayi has to his credit over 50 articles in reputable journals.

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Published

2020-11-04

How to Cite

Ajuwon P, Chitiyo G, Onuigbo LN, Ahon AT, Olayi JE. Teachers’ Attitudes towards Inclusion of Blind or Partially-Sighted Students in Secondary Schools in Nigeria. DCIDJ [Internet]. 2020 Nov. 4 [cited 2024 Sep. 8];31(2):33-51. Available from: https://dcidj.uog.edu.et/index.php/up-j-dcbrid/article/view/370

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Issue

Vol. 31 No. 2 (2020): Summer 2020

Section

Original Research Articles

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DCIDJ has been moved from Liliane Foundation to the University of Gondar

July 31, 2023

We are pleased to inform you that the Disability, CBR, and Inclusive Development Journal (DCIDJ) has moved from the Liliane Foundation (https://dcidj.org) to the University of Gondar (https://dcidj.uog.edu.et). The University of Gondar is the only university that owns the CBR Program in Ethiopia. The CBR program was established in 2005 in partnership with Light for the World and Save the Children to alleviate various problems faced by persons with disabilities due to lack of access to rehabilitation services and community awareness. The University of Gondar (Ethiopia) and Queen’s University (Canada), supported by the Mastercard Foundation, have developed a 10-year partnership to advance inclusive higher education for young people with disabilities, develop new occupational therapy programs, and advance research for inclusive education and community-based rehabilitation in Africa. Hence, the University of Gondar is an excellent fit to manage the journal as it has extensive experience in the field of disability, CBR, and inclusive development.

The DCIDJ is an online journal with a 33-year-old history of publishing research in the broad field of rehabilitation and disability inclusion. It is an open-access journal that aims to provide a platform for high-quality and innovative research that includes a diverse range of perspectives, including academics, researchers, scholars, and postgraduate students. The journal covers topics such as disability rights, inclusive education, community-based rehabilitation, disability and development, and more. The journal is a quarterly publication that will be available online in four issues per year. We would like to acknowledge the good relationship with the Liliane Foundation and Enablement who chose the University of Gondar as a sustainable base as this university is one of the leading universities in Ethiopia in the field of disability, development, and rehabilitation. This is a positive step towards enhancing the dissemination and impact of research and knowledge in the CBR/CBID community.