CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES REQUIRED FOR MEETING THE INFORMATION NEEDS OF STUDENTS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT IN NIGERIAN FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES

ABSTRACT

This  study  was  conducted  to  examine  Classroom  environment  and  resources  required  for meeting the information needs of students with hearing impairment in Nigerian Federal Universities. The study employed descriptive survey design. Five research questions and four hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study was made up of 165 people consisting of 63 Lecturers and 102 students with hearing impairment. Data collection was done using two sets of questionnaires (One for Lectures and the other for students) and focus group discussion. Data collected from the questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics involving mean and  standard  deviation.  t-test  was  used  to  test  the  four  postulated  null  hypothesis  at  0.05 probability level. The results were presented in tables.   Data from the focus group discussion were coded, sorted, tallied and relevant themes identified. The findings of the study showed that students with hearing impairment need information to improve language skill, complete class assignment, prepare for lectures, improve personal competencies, improve general knowledge, prepare for examination and acquire research writing skills. The findings also identified Sign Language Interpreters, Note takers, Overhead projectors, telecommunication device for the deaf, hearing aid compatible sound systems and air conditioners as classroom resources very highly needed in a classroom where hearing and hearing impaired students study alongside each other. The four null hypotheses postulated for the study were all accepted indicating that there were no significant differences in the opinions of hard of hearing and deaf students on the information needs of students with hearing impairment in Nigerian Federal Universities and in the opinion of lecturers and students on types of classroom resources required  for meeting the information needs of students with hearing impairment amongst others. This finding has implications for library and information science practice in Nigeria in developing services and programs to cater for the interest of students with hearing impairment. Based on the findings, it was recommended amongst others that students with hearing impairment have information needs like every other student as such; libraries should create programs and services to meet their information needs. The study concluded that classroom environment and appropriate resources are important in the education of students with hearing impairment in Nigerian Federal Universities.

Key  words:  Hearing  impairment,  Classroom  resources,  Classroom  environment,  students, Nigeria, Federal Universities.

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Information is crucial in the lives of students. Ajiboye and Tella   (2007) defined it as the ingredient  which  students  desire  to  construct  meaning  out  of  their  learning.  Information empowers students with the skill to discuss the subject content and reduce bias. Meeting the information needs of students is therefore of utmost important to students. Unfortunately, there seems  to be a  group of students  whose  information  needs  are  not often  considered  in  our universities. These are students with hearing impairment.

There are various types of impairment of which hearing impairment is one. Impairment refers to disturbances at the level of a bodily organ or function, whether physical or mental (0nu, 2008). In case of human beings, it can be in any part of the body. Thus, there are people with physical impairment, hearing impairment, amongst others. Hearing impairment is a generic name used to qualify  anyone  with  hearing  loss  (Okeke,  2001).    People  with  hearing  impairment  can  be described as people who hear sound with difficulty and at a reduced rate compared to other people. Oladejo and Oladejo (2011) described people with hearing impairment as those with little or no ability to hear sounds through one ear (unilateral impairment) or both ears (bilateral impairment).  The  researchers  also noted  that people  can  as  well be totally deaf or hard  of hearing. Hallahan, Kauffman and Pullen (2009) defined the totally deaf people as those   whose hearing disability precludes successful processing  of linguistic  information  through  audition, with or without hearing aid while a hard of hearing person generally, with the use of hearing aid, has residual hearing sufficient to enable successful processing of linguistic information. The

World  Health  Organization  (WHO) estimated  the number  of people  living  with  hearing impairment in the world as 360 million in 2011 (Adeboye 2015). Kodiya, Afolabi and Ahmad (2012) observed that majority of people with hearing impairment live in the developing world and  that  hearing  loss  is  among  the  leading  categories  of chronic  disabilities  in  developing countries.

The Nigerian National Population Commission (1998) gave the total number of people with hearing impairment in Nigeria as 104, 929. Among this number, 3,020 are within the higher education normal age range (18-30years).   Unfortunately the census failed to report separate figures for the categories of deaf and hard of hearing.

Hearing impairment has been categorized differently by people based on their orientation. People  with  physiological  viewpoint  are  interested  primarily  in  the  measurable  degrees  of hearing loss which are described in decibels (Db). Hearing sensitivity is measured in decibels (Units of relative loudness of sounds). Zero decibels (0Db) designate the point at which the average  person  with  normal  hearing  can  detect  the  faintest  sound.  People  with  hearing impairment of about 90dB or greater are considered to be deaf and people with impairment at lower decibel level are considered to be hard of hearing (Gergiulo & Metcalf, 2013).   Smith (2007)  identified  five  types  of hearing  impairment.  Mild  hearing  loss  (21-40Db);  moderate hearing loss (41-55Db),  moderately severe hearing  loss (56-70Db),  severe hearing  loss (71-

90Db) and profound hearing loss (91Db +). Hallahan, Kauffman and Pullen (2009) noted that people  with  educational  viewpoint  were  more concerned  about  the age  of onset of hearing impairment. The earlier the hearing impairment occurs in life, the more difficulty the child will have developing the language of the hearing society. The close relationship between hearing impairment and language delay is the key factor in people with educational orientation definition

of hearing impairment. People with educational orientation classify people born deaf as congenitally deaf while those who acquired deafness sometime in life after birth is said to be adventitiously deaf.

Hearing impairment can be acquired  at different stages of people’s life. The time of the acquisition  can  be  Pre-lingual,  Post-lingual or Presbycuis  (Betsy,2005;).  Betsy,  defined  pre- lingual hearing impairment as a hearing impairment that is acquired early in life, before language is acquired in the natural way. Shemesh  (2010) observed that Pre-lingual  hearing impairment forces a person to learn spoken language mainly through artificial means ( lip reading). Shemesh also  observed  that  people  with  pre-lingual  hearing  impairment  are  deprived  from  auditory language input, because their main method of language acquisition – print, does not convey as much language information as sound conveys. Okeke (2001) defined post-lingual hearing impairment as a type of hearing impairment that occurs after one has acquired language skills. The author noted that much of the problems of people with this type of impairment is in the area of oral  communication,  not  language  problem. Depending  on  the age  at which  the hearing impairment  occurs,  people  with  post-lingual  hearing  impairment  have  similar  reading  and writing skills with normal people, only a little delay in new idioms of the language  (Betsy,

2005). Presbycuis hearing impairment is a hearing impairment that occurs at old age Betsy,

2005).

Students with hearing impairment as used in this study include the deaf and hard of hearing students who exhibit characteristics such as not responding to or confusing verbal directions, showing no surprise or being startled in situations that would normally evoke such response pattern, rubbing the ears frequently or turning the head in one direction as if trying to locate a sound, complaining of a ringing or buzzing sound in the ear , not responding when called from a

distance, complaining of discharge from the ear, gazing at the lips of a person speaking to him instead of the person’s eyes, misarticulating simple words, complaining that a normal sound or noise is too loud, avoiding situations that may require him/her to talk, speaking in an abnormally low, high or loud voice and making a response only when he/she see’s the speaker’s face or gesture (Okeke, 2001).

Hearing  impairment  can  have  an  adverse  effect  on  communication,  learning  and interaction.   Gergiulo   &   Metcalf   (2013)   observed   that   these   adverse   effects   are   often unrecognized  by  teachers  unless  the  teachers  are  specially  trained  to  recognize  sensory impairments and understand their consequences. Oyewumi (2008) observed that hearing impairment is one of the disabilities that affect the learning process of an individual and hinders the general development. Wadesango, Gudyabgi, Eliphanos and Gudyanga (2014) observed that students with hearing impairment in inclusive classrooms  (i.e classrooms  where hearing and hearing impaired students study alongside each other.) feel isolated and have low self esteem and these lead them into irrational behaviors. These students miss out from most of the instructional processes in class because most university lecturers are not special educators who are versed in sign language (Oyewumi, 2008). As a result of the fact that many hard of hearing students use verbal communication as their preferred mode of communication, these students are often perceived  as  having  more  in  common  with  hearing  students  than  with  deaf  students.  The difficulties these students face in class are often overlooked because of the belief that they can function easily in oral environment and have less need for support services than students who are completely deaf (Antia, Jones, Reed and Kreimeyer, 2009). This has resulted in frustrations and at times forceful withdrawal of the students from the Universities before graduation.

Further, hearing impairment forces the students to rely heavily on support services like interpreters  and note takers in order to have access to general curriculum content ( Briggle,

2005). Foster, Long and  Snell (1999) observed  that even  with a comprehensive  program of classroom support, access to classroom communication is a unique challenge for students who are deaf. The  authors noted that students who use an  interpreter experience  time  lag as the interpreter finishes signing 5 to 10 seconds after the lecturer must have finished speaking. By that time, the lecturers must have moved to other activity. Again, deaf students who rely on lip reading often experience a break in visual contact as some lecturers talk while writing on the board or read from papers held too close to their faces. Furthermore, in computer labs, instructors may speak while manipulating physical objects or performing tasks on projected screen leaving the students on the dilemma of choosing to watch the interpreter, instructor or screen.

The University of Vermont Centre on Disability and Community Inclusion, USA (2013) highlighted other barriers that limit access to classroom instruction for students with hearing impairment as lack of captions for videos, oral intensive lecture styles, group work or breakout sessions that involve quick discussions with mostly hearing peers and fast moving classes in which  there is no time allowed  for interpreters  to catch up  with discussions. These barriers inhibit successful learning for students with hearing impairment.

Regardless   of  the  level   of  impairment,   students   with   hearing   impairment   have information  need  like their peers  and other information  needs based on their circumstances. Barner & Sharon (2012) defined information need as the need for information that individuals ought to have to do their job effectively, solve their problems satisfactorily or pursue a hobby or interest happily.    Information needs are affected by a variety of factors. These include, the range of information services available, the uses to which information will be put into, the background,

motivation  and  professional  orientation  and  other  individual  characteristics  of the  user,  the social, political and economic systems surrounding the user and the consequences of information use (Prasad, 2000).  Students have various information needs. Olarongbe, Adepoju, Ademolake and Pedro (2013)   noted that the information  needs of library users  in order of importance include information for academic purposes, general information, information for personal development, information on provision of social amenities, information on government policies and programs,  Agricultural Information, Information on international politics, information on health, sports and security.  Tahir & Khalid (2008) observed that among Arts and Humanities students the preferred method of meeting the information needs is through consultation with experts  in  the  subject  field  and  by  conversation   with  colleagues.  Olarongbe,  Adepoju, Ademolake    and Pedro (2013) posits  that the greatest obstacle people face  in meeting their information needs is non availability of relevant materials.

Meeting the Information needs of students with hearing impairment in the classroom poses a major challenge to lecturers, as many lecturers in higher institutions are not skilled in teaching students with hearing impairment.  Inabilities of lecturers to meet the information needs of students with hearing impairment throw the students into academic problems. These academic problems include non participation in classroom activities, feeling of low esteem in class and feeling of isolation.  Cawthon (2001) attributed these problems to poor communication between the students who are deaf and the lecturers. Poor communication between students who are deaf and instructors may be as a result of lack of efficient classroom environment and resources for the delivery of instruction to students with hearing impairment.

The ability to effectively meet the classroom information needs of students with hearing impairment in the same classroom with hearing students depends on the ability of the instructor

and the institution to take cognizance of the hearing impaired in their mist, provide classroom environment  and  resources  that  will  enable  the  hearing  impaired  students  to  participate  in classroom communications. Kurdziole (2011) posits that classroom resources are resources used by teachers to achieve goals. These resources may include human or material resources. The Centre for Disability and Community inclusion of the University of Vermont, USA mentioned interpreters, note takers, audiologist as the human resources needed for meeting the information needs   of   students   with   hearing   impairment   while   the   non-   human   resources   are Telecommunication  Device  for the  Deaf (TDD),  Frequency  Modulation  Radio  (FM  Radio), Video Remote Interpreters, Radio Microphone and digital technologies like the computers and the internet. Kurdziole warns that these resources may not be considered as resources until they are enacted as one. The essence of classroom resources is to facilitate communication between the instructor and the students and among students. Students learn in unique ways. It is therefore important that viable classroom resources and environment is provided to take care of the unique ways in which students learn. This is even more vital when instructing students with hearing problems who are already disadvantaged due to their impairment.

Authors have defined classroom environment in various ways. OECD (2009) defined it as the setting in which student learning takes place. Hannah (2013) defined it as place where students  learn  various  skills  that  are  necessary  for  them  to  achieve  success  in  the  global economy. Classroom environment as used in this study includes all things in the learning area that can affect exchange of ideas between students and lecturers and among students. These include learning resources like books, technological equipment, human beings and their attitudes, seating  arrangement   and   ventilation.   Adelman   &  Taylor   (2005)  opined   that  classroom environment is the major determinant of classroom behavior and learning. This atmosphere can

range from a safe place where students are comfortable exploring the academic world to an unsafe place where students are victimized, cajoled and forced into passive listeners. Classroom environment can be positive or negative. When it is positive, learning is enjoyable but when negative, learning becomes burdensome. McLaughlini (2005) defined a positive classroom environment as a warm, caring learning environment where students are free to influence the nature of activities they undertake, engage seriously in their study, regulate their behavior and know of the explicit criteria and high expectations of what they are to achieve. De Vita (2000) suggests a number of things which Lecturers can do to create a positive classroom environment for their students. These include being aware of the different cultures that exist in the classroom in order to balance access to learning opportunities and equal engagement of all students in the class; utilize a large portion of the first class session to allow students to get to know each other and allow for informal interactions between the students and faculty amongst others. During examinations, Banik, Banik & Banik (2015) recommended  that up  to 25 percent extra time should be allowed for students with hearing impairment, invigilators may be permitted to use sign language to help students with hearing impairment read questions but should not explain what the question is asking and students with severe hearing impairment should be exempted from oral tests.

Certain factors affect the provision of positive classroom environment for students with hearing impairment in Nigerian Universities. Among these factors are: the lecture method of teaching  in Nigerian  Universities. This  method  of teaching denies the students  with hearing impairment the ability to participate in classroom discussions which are crucial for learning. This has resulted in many of the students performing poorly while others abandoned their studies before graduation.   Eleweke (2002) observed that ineffective teaching method was one of the

major factors that frustrate students with hearing impairment out from colleges and universities in Nigeria. Ojili (1997) opined that the absence of lecturers who are skilled in the use of sign languages  is the greatest obstacle confronting  students  with hearing  impairment  in  Nigerian Universities.

Large class sizes is yet another of the problems confronting higher education for students with hearing impairment. The Federal Government of Nigeria stipulated that student-lecturer ratio  should  be  30  students  to  one  lecturer  in  the  faculties  of  Social  Sciences,  Law,  Art, Education, Administration and Management Sciences; 1:20 in the Sciences; 1: 15 in the Agricultural    Sciences,  Environmental   Sciences   and  Engineering  and  1:10  in  medicine, Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy.  Yet in all Nigerian federal universities, the ratio is always more than three times the required  ratio. An observation of a typical lecture session  in any federal university in Nigeria show that the classrooms are always overpopulated. Wadesango, Gudyabga, Eliphanos and   Gudyanga (2014) observed that large class sizes in institutions of learning has resulted on a style of information delivery in which students were passive listeners with  little  or  no  opportunity  of  involvement,  to  the  detriment  of  students  with  hearing impairment.

Lack of classroom resources for effective teaching and learning is yet another problem encountered in Nigerian classrooms. Ajaiye (2007) noted that technologies (like FM radios and hearing aids ) for teaching in classrooms where hearing and students with hearing impairment study alongside each other, which are widely available in Universities overseas are lacking in Nigerian Universities. These problems rob students with hearing impairment access to academic information which is crucial for personal development. Okah & Osiobe  (2014)  opined that the essence of university education  is not only to acquire technocratic skills for employment but to

acquire core competencies and cognitive capacities to become lifelong learners and effective citizens.  Being  not  well  equipped  to  help  him/herself,  the  person  with  hearing  impairment becomes an ineffective citizen and a burden on the society. There is therefore need for studies on classroom environment and resources for meeting the information needs of this group of students in order to counter this problem. Unfortunately literature abound on the problems students with hearing impairment encounter in regular classrooms (Wadesango, Gudyabga, Eliphanos and Gudyanga 2014, Oyewumi 2008, Cawthon  2001) while none, to the best knowledge  of this researcher exist on  classroom  environment  and resource  provision  required  for ameliorating these problems. It is this gap that this work intends to bridge.

Statement of the Problem

It has been observed that the education of students with hearing impairment in Nigerian Universities and colleges is confronted with many problems such as large class sizes, lack of teaching resources and inefficient teaching method. These problems have resulted in a situation where students with hearing impairment feel isolated in class, do not participate in class discussions, perform poorly and are frustrated out of school before graduation. This condition if unchecked will lead to a situation where Nigerians with hearing impairment cannot access higher education in Nigeria. Without higher education, the chances of being gainfully employed and contributing to the development of the nation are slim. Such a situation does not give room for growth and development of any nation.  The problems of large class size, inefficient teaching method and lack of resources are associated with environmental issues which if well tackled will end the problems students with hearing impairment encounter in classrooms. Having known this, a proper study of the classroom environment where these students study and learning resources required  in the classrooms becomes essential. A search  through literature  revealed  abundant

information on the problems students with hearing impairment encounter in regular classrooms (Low self esteem, problems of poor communication between the students and Instructors, lack of support services) while none to the best knowledge of this researcher was seen or exists on classroom environment and resources required for ameliorating these problems. It is this gap that this work intends to bridge.

Purpose of the Study

The  purpose  of  this  study  is  to  examine  Classroom  environment  and  resources  for meeting the information needs of students with hearing impairment in Nigerian Federal Universities. Specifically, the study will seek to:

1.   identity  the  information  needs  of  students  with  hearing  impairment  in  Nigerian

Federal Universities.

2.   ascertain  the instructional  methods required  for meeting  the information  needs of students with hearing impairment in Nigerian Federal universities

3.   identify the classroom resources needed for meeting the information needs of students with hearing impairment in Nigerian Federal Universities

4.   identify  the  strategies  required  for  creating  positive  classroom  environment  for meeting the information needs of students with hearing impairment

5.   identify  relevant  examination  environment  to  accommodate  students  with  hearing impairment

Research Questions

The following research questions will guide this study.

1.   What are the information needs of students with hearing impairment in Nigerian Federal

Universities?

2.   What are the instructional methods for meeting the information needs of students with hearing impairment in Nigerian Federal universities?

3.   What are the classroom resources needed for meeting the information needs of students with hearing impairment in Nigerian Federal Universities?

4.   What are the strategies required for creating positive classroom environment for meeting the information needs of students with hearing impairment?

5.   What are the relevant examination environment for students with hearing impairment

Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses (Ho) will guide this study and will be tested at 0.05 level of significance.

Ho1         There is no significant difference in the opinions of students who are hard of hearing and the  deaf on  the  information  needs  of students  with  hearing  impairment  in  Nigerian Federal Universities.

Ho2         There is no significant difference in the opinion of lecturers and students with hearing impairment on types of classroom resources needed for meeting the information needs of students with hearing impairment..

Ho3         There is no significant difference in the opinion of lecturers and students with hearing impairment on Relevant Examination Environment for students with hearing impairment

Significance of the Study

This study has both theoretical and practical significance.

Theoretically, the work should strengthen the social theory of disability by highlighting the importance of learning environment on the education of students with hearing impairment. The result will also add to existing studies on the theory. In practical terms, the following will benefit from the study: the Nigerian society, university administrators, university lecturers and students with hearing impairment.

To  the  Nigeria  society,  it  is  hoped  that  the  study  will  reverse  the  negative  attitude towards  disabled  people  by  highlighting  the  information  needs  of  students  with  hearing impairment thus indicating that students with hearing impairment are like other students with information needs to be met.

To University administrators, the result of this study if implemented will hopefully bring about innovations in the design of Nigerian higher education classrooms by educating university administrators on the type of facilities needed in classrooms containing both hearing and hearing impaired students. Such facilities if included in the design of structures and implementation of learning activities will bring an end to the avoidable withdrawal of students with hearing impairment from Nigeria universities before graduation.   It is hoped that the findings of this study will guide university administrators and policy makers in formulating educational policies affecting students with hearing impairment by highlighting best practices for meeting the information needs of students with hearing impairment in Nigerian Federal Universities.

To lecturers, the result of this study if implemented will hopefully enrich the methods used by lecturers in teaching in inclusive classrooms, methods that are desirable in classrooms

containing both hearing and hearing impaired students which lecturers in different institutions of higher learning can emulate. The result of this study if widely put into use, should equip lecturers with  better strategies  for creating  positive  classroom  environment  for students  with  hearing impairment.

To the students with hearing impairment, the result of this study will hopefully usher in a new era in the education of students with hearing impairment in Nigerian Universities, an era, in which the needs of students with disability will be put into consideration in the planning and implementation of educational policies.  The result of the study will hopefully bring to focus the information  needs of students  with hearing  impairment,  the type of resources needed  in the classrooms where they learn and environment under which examinations should be conducted for them.

Scope of the Study

The study focused on classroom environment and resources for meeting the information needs of Students with hearing impairment in Nigerian Federal Universities. It focused on all lecturers and students with hearing impairment in Nigerian Federal Universities. Moreover, the study focused on the methods and resources for meeting the information needs of students with hearing impairment.  It also focused on strategies used by lecturers in creating positive classroom environment for students with hearing impairment in Nigerian Federal Universities.  The study further focused on examination environment for students with hearing impairment in Nigerian Federal Universities.

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