The Impact of Technology on the Academic Performance of Students with Special Needs in Nigeria
Oluchi Uzoaru Anyom
Abstract
This study investigated the impact of technology on the academic performance of students with special needs in Nigeria. The onion research framework was used in this study; as such, a philosophical framework of realism was used because it gives room for diversity of opinions. This study adopted an inductive approach to examine the impact of technology on the academic performance of students with special needs in Nigeria. This study adopted a descriptive research design to examine the impact of technology on the academic performance of students with special needs in Nigeria. This study adopts a qualitative approach in the analysis of the secondary data extracted from recent relevant publications in technology and the education of students with special needs. This study discovered that assistive devices are reading rockets assisted with computers, overhead projectors, filmstrips, virtual reality, 3D simulations, interactive digital whiteboards, text-to-speech software that converts printed text to voice, graphic organizers to assist learners with special needs to form their writing and voice recognition software that converts words articulated by learners to text on a screen and many others. The assistive devices his study even captured are lower-tech devices compared with the high-tech ones used in advanced countries like the United Kingdom. Nigerian teachers rarely use or do not at all use assistive devices in teaching children with special needs. The challenges militating against the use of assistive devices for students with special needs in Nigeria’s inclusive schools could be categorized into three: human resources, material resources, and policy implementation. This study concluded that assistive technology has a great impact on the academic performance of students with special needs when they are available. Objections to application of technology in education of students with special needs are based on lack of accessib
Keywords
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