Impact of Special Educational Approaches for Students with Mental Retardation in Primary Schools in Kenya: Case Study Kiambu County

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the efficiency of teaching strategies for learners with mental impairment in acquiring daily living skills. 

Methodology: A descriptive survey design was used for the investigation. The acquisition of daily-living skills was the dependent variable in this study, whereas the independent factors were instructional techniques, how instructors utilized the methods, problems faced, and teaching/learning materials used by teachers. Purposive sampling was utilized to choose the district, special units, learners, and instructors for the research. 

Results: The study's findings revealed that learners with MR were not effectively taught DLS because teachers did not employ suitable teaching techniques, tactics, or teaching/learning resources. Seventy-eight percent (78 percent) of teachers in MR units were not trained to educate such students. Only 22 percent of the teachers had received MR training. According to the findings, forty-eight (80 percent) of learners did not receive enough DLS because the techniques and teaching/learning materials employed were neither appropriate nor relevant. 

Conclusion: The study indicated that learners were not properly taught DLS for the acquisition of independent living skills. 

Recommendations: The research suggests that the government establish cost-effective training for teachers in the field of mental retardation in order to address the issue of understaffing and inadequate instruction. It also recommends that schools with special units be led by teachers who are mental retardation specialists because they can understand the needs, abilities, and interests of learners with MR and provide an appropriate learning environment, as well as provide necessary support to the teachers in the units.