Educational Resources and Inclusion of Hearing-Impaired Learners in Primary Schools in East Karachuonyo Division Homabay County-Kenya

The study on educational resources and inclusion of learners with hearing impairments in East Karachuonyo Division, Homabay County, was carried out to find out the level of educational resources in the inclusive schools in East Karachuonyo Division, Kenya. The objectives of the study were to determine the profile of respondents, determine the level of educational resources, determine the level of inclusion, and determine whether there is a significant relationship between educational resources and the inclusion of hearing-impaired learners in East Karachuonyo Division, Rachuonyo North District, Tt. Mabay County. The descriptive correlation survey method was adopted, where two variables or correlations were compared based on the sample size. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used to perform statistical analysis and produce results. However, the findings of the study revealed that females who teach hearing-impaired learners slightly outnumber their male counterparts at 55 (55%) and 45 (45%), respectively. The majority of the respondents were between the ages of 30 and 39, and most have taught in schools for between 1 and 5 years. Most of the teachers—62%—have no training in the teaching of learners with hearing impairments. On the human resources available in the schools, regular teachers take the lead with a mean of3.61, while the rest are found in a few schools. General resources dominate at the expense of specific resources. Social interaction and relationships among learners and teachers are available, but special attention to learners with hearing impairments is not fostered in the inclusive school. The study revealed that there are adequate teaching and learning materials that, most importantly, appeal to learners without special needs, scoring a 2.51 availability. Compensatory devices, on average, were rated low, with hearing aids and loudspeakers rated at a mean of 1.52 and 1.47, respectively. Inclusion of learners was rated highly as eight out of twelve elements were high with free interaction, the same curriculum content, the same teaching time, and the aspect of combining learners ranking very high at 3.20, 3.48, 3.47, and 3.30, respectively. Finally, the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between educational resources and the inclusion of learners with hearing impairments in East Karachuonyo division, Homabay County, Kenya. Keywords: Educational resources, Hearing impairments, East Karachuonyo Division, Teaching and learning materials.