Effects of Curriculum on Transition to the World of Work for Learners with Intellectual Disability in Special Schools of Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate transition plans in the curriculum of learners with intellectual disability in special schools in Nakuru County, Kenya.  The researcher adopted the Piaget’s theory that deals with the nature of knowledge itself and how human beings acquire, construct, and use it. The study was conducted at Nakuru Hills and Pangani Special Schools for the learners with intellectual disability in Nakuru County. The target population was teachers and parents of learners with intellectual disability in public schools. This consisted of a total of two hundred and twenty eight respondents where there were 2 Head teachers, 30 teachers, and 196 parents.  The sample consisted of thirty two (2 head teachers, 10 teachers and 20 parents) for the study. The researcher conducted a purposive sampling of schools and head teachers and simple random sampling of the teachers and parents for equal chances of inclusion in the sample. The quantitative data collected was analyzed using simple descriptive statistics by percentages. The main findings were that a curriculum existed though with inadequate teaching and learning resources aimed at preparing the learners for life after school, majority of the teachers teaching in those schools were not specially trained in the area of intellectual disability and lacked an inter disciplinary transition teams in the schools. The study recommends that the government through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, pay attention to current and future needs of learners with intellectual disability to enable them transit from school to work with ease. The major conclusion is that the learners with intellectual disability are inadequately prepared for transition. The study recommends another study be done to investigate government’s involvement in facilitating transition of the learners with special needs and disability in the special schools

Key words: Adolescent, Adult, Curriculum, Education, Intellectual disability, Mental retardation, Learner with intellectual disability, Special school, Transition, Vocational skills