WELCOME TO KENTERPRO:
EFFECT OF SIGN LANGUAGE ON READING SKILLS PERFORMANCE OF PRIMARY FIVE (5) PUPILS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT IN OTANA INTEGRATED SCHOOL, JOS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background to the study
• Statement of the problem
• Purpose of the study
• Research questions
• Significance of the study
• Scope of the study
• Operational definition of terms

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1       The Concept of Sign Language

2.2       The Concept of Reading Skills

2.3       The Concept of Hearing Impairment

2.4       Factors affecting the reading skills of pupils with hearing impairment

2.5       Influence of Sign Language on the reading skills performance of pupils with hearing impairment

2.6.      Strategies for enhancing the Reading Skills performance of pupils with hearing impairment

2.7       Summary of Literature Reviews

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1       Research design

3.2       Population and Sample of the study

3.3       Sampling techniques

3.4       Instrument for data collection

3.5       Reliability and validity of the Instrument

3.6       Method of data collection

3.7       Method for data analysis

CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1       Presentation of Bio-Data

4.2       Analysis of Research Questions

4.3       Hypothesis Testing

4.4       Discussion of Findings

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1       Summary of Findings

5.2       Conclusion

5.3       Recommendations

5.4       Suggestion for Further Study

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background to the Study

Children with hearing loss cannot rely on sound in the same way to inform them of their surroundings. They must find new ways to express themselves, communicate, and learn regardless of how or when they first experience hearing loss. Children with hearing impairments (HI) who develop them prior to starting school, particularly if they do so before they learn any understandable spoken language, also struggle to learn to read. Some youngsters with hearing impairments pick up a first language based on their tactile and visual senses. This language is not only acoustically unrelated, but it also does not follow the same grammatical conventions as either spoken or written English. These children effectively learn a tactile, visual, and syntactically defined first language. Some of these kids use American Sign Language (ASL), while others use a peculiar language known as a pidgin. They must, however, master a second language—that of the hearing world—when they start school. This is challenging because the ‘new’ language has distinct syntactic conventions and mainly relies on sound. This could be a factor in the HI children’s frequently delayed acquisition of and lack of competency in reading skills.

Reading is an essential skill that is vital for academic success and lifelong learning. It involves the ability to decode written words, comprehend the meaning of text, and integrate that information with prior knowledge. Strong reading skills allow individuals to access information and ideas, communicate effectively, and engage in critical thinking. Reading skills are crucial for academic success across all subjects. Reading comprehension is a fundamental part of learning, and pupils who struggle with reading are at a disadvantage in all areas of study. Pupils with strong reading skills are better able to understand complex texts, identify important information, and draw conclusions. They are also better equipped to communicate their ideas effectively through writing.

In recent years, there has been growing recognition of the importance of sign language in the education of children with hearing impairments. Sign language has been shown to have a significant impact on various aspects of cognitive development, including language acquisition, literacy, and academic achievement. Sign language is a language that is used by people with hearing impairment to communicate. It is a language that uses manual symbol to represent ideas and concept. Sign Language is a term used to describe the language used by deaf people in which both manual signs and finger spelling are employed. Signs usually represent ideas and not single word. Sign language appears an easier mode of communication between the teacher and the pupils, intrinsically the pupils get involved more keenly in learning and acquisition of new information and literacy as well. Combining two modalities of communication such as tactile and kinesthetic channels with auditory and visual modalities, is greatest source of learning and improves learning speed as sign language is composed of both modalities. Use of movements in multimode sign language supports Piaget’s claim of learning and thinking (Barnes, 2010).

Sign languages are natural manual languages that are used by deaf people around the world, and which are functionally and structurally equivalent to spoken languages. In contrast to gestures, sign languages are symbolic, conventionalized, and compositional. Pupils with hearing impairment are often faced with a lot of challenges in their academic pursuits, one of which is reading comprehension. While sign language has been used as a communication tool among the deaf community, its effect on the reading skills of pupils with hearing impairment remains a topic of concern. There is a growing body of literature on the benefits of sign language on the language development and communication skills of pupils with hearing impairment. However, there is limited research on the influence of sign language on the reading skills of these pupils. This study aims to fill this gap in the literature by exploring the extent to which sign language influences the reading skills of pupils with hearing impairment in Otana Integrated School, Jos.

• Statement of the Problem

The use of sign language in classrooms for pupils with hearing impairment has been a long-standing practice, aimed at facilitating their understanding of lessons and fostering effective communication. However, the effect of sign language on the reading skills of pupils with hearing impairment in Otana Integrated School, Jos, remains a largely unexplored area. The inability of pupils with hearing impairment to effectively access a spoken language environment means that their reading skills are paramount for academic success. It is essential to examine whether the use of sign language in classrooms, which has become an integral part of the educational system, positively or negatively impacts the reading skills of pupils with hearing impairment. While sign language has been shown to provide visual cues that improve the learning experience, it is unclear whether it hinders or enhances the development of reading skills in pupils with hearing impairment. Additionally, there is a need to examine the extent to which the use of sign language as a primary mode of communication in classrooms can impact the development of English language proficiency in pupils with hearing impairment in Otana Integrated School, Jos.

• Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of Sign Language on reading skills performance of primary five (5) pupils with hearing impairment in Otana Integrated School, Jos. The specific objective is to:

1. Examine the factors affecting the reading skills of primary five (5) pupils with hearing impairment in Otana Integrated School, Jos.
2. Assess the use of sign language in enhancing the reading skills of pupils with hearing impairment in Otana Integrated School, Jos.
3. Identify strategies for improving the reading skills performance of primary five (5) pupils with hearing impairment in Otana Integrated School, Jos.
   • Research Questions
4. What are the factors affecting the reading skills of pupils with hearing impairment in Otana Integrated School, Jos.
5. What is the effectiveness of using sign language in teaching reading skills performance of primary five (5) pupils with hearing impairment in Otana Integrated School, Jos.
6. What are the strategies for improving the reading skills performance of primary five (5) pupils with hearing impairment in Otana Integrated School, Jos.
   • Research Hypothesis

Ho: There is no significant relationship between Sign Language and the reading skills performance of pupils with hearing impairment

• Scope of the Study

The Study will be focused on the effect of Sign Language on reading skills performance. It will cover only primary five (5) pupils with hearing impairment in Otana Integrated School, Jos.

• Significance of the Study

Teachers and teacher trainers will be able to use the study’s findings to address the constantly changing needs and interests of pupils with hearing impairment and to recognize the importance of using sign language in the teaching-learning of pupils with hearing impairment in relation to academic achievement.

The findings will provide information to help ministries, non-governmental organizations, and educational leaders find new ways to strengthen and improve hearing-impaired pupils’ reading ability.

It also hoped that the Curriculum Development Centre (CDC) of Nigeria may benefit from the findings of this study when coming up with materials and curriculum for Hearing Impaired leaner’s and may assist the institution to design a better curriculum that will accommodate all the necessary skills to help the pupils with hearing impairment participate in academic and social live.

The results of this study to adequately provide learning materials appropriate for reading skills developments to pupils with hearing impairments and teacher use and to fund the special education sector.

The school will further use the study results of this research to advise all affected stakeholders on how to train pupils on set of skills found in the reading skills development.

• Definition of Operational terms

Sign Language: Sign language is a language that is used by children with hearing impairment to communicate. It is a language that uses manual symbol to represent ideas and concept.

ASL – This is American Sign Language which is approach as the general language of communication with hearing impaired pupils across the special, integrated and inclusive education.

Hearing Impaired: This implies the inability of an individual to hear sounds adequately

Reading Skills: Reading skills are abilities that pertain to a person’s capacity to read, comprehend, interpret and decode written language and texts.

Literacy skills: are all the skills needed for reading and writing. Literacy: Learning how to read and write.

Learning: The acquisition of knowledge or skills through study, experience, or being taught.

Communication ability: This is the ability of pupils with hearing impairment to be able to exchange ideas and feelings with others.