INFLUENCE OF DEAF STUDENTS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS READING ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH READING COMPREHENSION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KENYA

Authors

  • Everline Nyokabi Maina Dr., Department of Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation, Maseno University, Kenya
  • Edwards Joash Kochung Prof., Department of Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation, Maseno University, Kenya
  • Omondi Oketch Prof., Department of Information Science, Language and Communication Studies, Technical University of Kenya, Kenya

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejse.v12i2.6589

Keywords:

attitude towards reading, deaf students, English reading comprehension academic achievement

Abstract

The academic achievement of deaf students in English in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination has continuously been below average, with a mean of below 6.0 out of the possible mean of 12 for the past five years. Reading comprehension contributes to 32.5% of the total marks in the KCSE English examination. Existing studies attribute the low academic achievement to inadequate knowledge of English vocabulary and grammar, with limited studies focusing on attitude. This current study, therefore, focused on determining the influence of deaf students’ attitudes towards reading academic achievement in reading comprehension in secondary schools in Kenya. Using descriptive survey and correlational research designs, data were gathered from four secondary schools for the deaf in Kenya. The study established that deaf students had a positive attitude towards reading (Mean=3.51). Negative attitudes were nevertheless depicted in reading texts that had a lot of vocabularies (Mean=2.48); and reading texts that were long (Mean=2.39). The students also believed that reading was difficult (Mean=2.43); that they were not good at reading (Mean=2.47); and did not feel confident in participating in class reading sessions (Mean=2.71). Their attitude towards reading influenced academic achievement (r=0.833, p<0.05). A correlation of r = 0.833 further shows that the shared variance is equivalent to 69.4% (r2 = 0.694), implying that 69.4% of the variance in deaf students’ achievement in reading comprehension can be explained by attitude towards reading. The study recommends motivation of deaf students by teachers to improve their reading culture, and explicit teaching and scaffolding of effective reading strategies to enhance reading comprehension. The findings of this study may be used by curriculum developers and teachers in enhancing English reading comprehension among deaf students.

Author Biographies

  • Everline Nyokabi Maina, Dr., Department of Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation, Maseno University, Kenya

    Dr. Everline Nyokabi Maina is a lecturer at the Department of Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation, Maseno University. She holds a PhD in Special Needs Education, specializing in Deaf Education. Her teaching and research interests include: Deaf Education; Kenyan Sign Language; Deafblindness; Reading and Deafness; Disability Studies; Inclusive Education; Sign Language interpretation and Science Education.

  • Edwards Joash Kochung, Prof., Department of Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation, Maseno University, Kenya

    Prof. Edwards Joash Kochung is an Associate Professor in the Department of Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation, Maseno University. He holds a PhD in Special Needs Education.His teaching and research interests include: Intellectual Disability; Inclusive Education; Disability and Society; and Assessment in Special Needs Education

  • Omondi Oketch, Prof., Department of Information Science, Language and Communication Studies, Technical University of Kenya, Kenya

    Prof. Omondi Oketch is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Science,Language and Communication Studies, Technical University of Kenya. He holds a PhD in Linguistics. His teaching and research interests include: Multimodality; Social Semiotics; Systemic Functional Linguistics; Critical Discourse Analysis; and Multilingualism.

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Published

2026-03-16

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 2 (2026)

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