Hearing impaired primary teacher education trainees' perceptions of the evaluation and assessment systems and its impact on their motivation to undertake examinations in Kenya Teacher Training Colleges

Abstract

In the recent past, concern for special needs has in primary teacher training courses, and affirmative action given in lower admission criteria, special learning environments and special provisions in examinations. However, despite these interventions, Primary Teacher Education trainees with hearing impairment continue to register poor performance compared to all other trainees with special needs. There has also been a lot of research on ~pecial Needs Education, mostly in primary and secondary school levels but little has been done especially with regard to assessment and evaluation of Teacher Education trainees with hearing impairment.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the perception of examinations of the Primary Teacher Education with hearing impairment and its correlation with their levels of motivation to undertake examinations. Using the descriptive research design, the author used questionnaires to collect data. The population for this study was the first and second year trainee teachers with hearing impairment in the Kenya Primary Teacher Training Colleges. Using quantitative data analysis techniques, the influence of various characteristics of trainee teachers on their perception and motivation towards examinations was explored.

It was established that more than 50% of the trainees had a negative perception of examinations and that there was a strong correlation between their perception and their motivation to undertake examinations. Gender, education setting, language barrier, parental and peer support had a significant influence on the hearing impaired trainees' perception and motivation towards examinations. There is need to make both formative and summative assessments more inclusive to address the challenges faced by the hearing impaired teacher trainees with a view to improving their academic performance.

Key Words: Perception, motivation, Primary teacher training, Special needs, Inclusion, Gender.