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An assessment of the career behaviours of a group of handicapped children — The deaf in Nigeria
Studiesin EducationalEva/uation,Vol. 20, pp. 297-305, 1994
© 1994 Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in Great Britein. All rights reserved. 0191-491X/94 $26,00
Pergamon
0191-491 X(94)00025-5 AN A S S E S S M E N T OF T H E C A R E E R B E H A V I O U R S OF A G R O U P OF H A N D I C A P P E D C H I L D R E N - TH E D E A F IN N I GERI A Charles O. Iwundu Department of Guidance and Counselling, Rivers State College of Education, Port Harcourt, Nigena
Introduction In Nigeria positive efforts are being made to cater for handicapped children through special education. This can be seen from the National Policy of Education (1981, revised), whose objectives of special education in Nigeria include inter alia: .
2. 3.
To give concrete meaning to the idea of equalising educational opportunities for all children, their physical, mental, emotional disabilities notwithstanding. To provide adequate education for all handicapped children and adults in order that they may fully play their roles in the development of the nation. To provide opportunities for exceptionally gifted children to develop at their own pace in the interest of the nation's economic and technological development (N.P.E. 1981).
To achieve these objectives, education of the handicapped as well as of gifted children is free at the primary and secondary level but the federal government of Nigeria plans to extend this to all levels, up to university. In addition, the federal government plans that vocational schools will be made to reserve places for further education of handicapped children (N.P.E., 1981, p. 37). Statement of Problems Different jobs require different abilities. The handicapped or disabled person is by his disability limited in terms of the jobs in which he can seek employment. This is a problem to the handicapped person. Specifically, the deaf and dumb have a problem in hearing and communicating with people. The often derogatory attitude to his handicap often places such an individual in a bad psychological position and may affect work vis-a-vis productivity. The deaf and dumb adolescent, like any other normal adolescent, has the developmental task of achieving economic independence and selecting and 297
C. O. Iwundu
298
preparing for developmental In view deaf and dumb
an occupation. Adolescents need to be helped to achieve this task because occupational choice is a crucial life decision. of these problems and needs, the assessment of the career behaviour of students is being carried out.
The Scope of the Study In view of time constraints the researcher will limit the study to Imo State School for the deaf Ofekata Orodo, in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. The study will assess the career behaviour of a group of deaf students while controlling for age, sex, educational level and socio-economic status.
Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study is .
2. .
4.
To assess the career behaviour of deaf students. To find out if salary and handicap are factors influencing the occupational choice of deaf students. To assess the attitude of the deaf towards work. To assist vocational guidance counsellors through the findings of this study in the process of giving career information to deaf students, counselling them on how to adjust in their future places of work and also to improve positive attitude to work.
Research Questions The following research questions were generated in this study: Will deaf students like to take jobs where they will not be disadvantaged by their handicap? .
3.
Is salary a factor influencing the choice of occupation of the deaf? Will deaf students' attitude to their career be positive irrespective of their handicap?
Basic Assumptions In this study, it is assumed that keeping the deaf students in a special school is tantamount to labelling them. Labelling has negative effects on handicapped children as they tend to be withdrawn. They are plagued by the feeling of inferiority and find integration hard. It is further assumed that they may want to compensate by doing
Career Behaviours
299
things or work which "normal" people do. The alternative is to be abjectly withdrawn and resort to living a hopeless life.
Significance of the Study The findings from this study will go a long way to assisting vocational guidance counsellors in the process of giving career information to deaf students and also in counselling the latter on how to adjust in their future places of work while also improving positive attitudes to work. Who Is a Deaf Person? A deaf person is one whose hearing disability precludes successful processing of linguistic information through audition, with or without a hearing aid (Ikpaya, 1987). Hearing impairment may include conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, or mixed hearing loss. These may be caused, among other things, by toxemia of pregnancy, prematurity, antepartum bleeding, maternal infection, prolonged labour, difficult delivery, etc. (Swanson, & Willis, 1979). A number of studies have shown that the heating impaired have certain characteristics. These characteristics include sound discrimination problems, incorrect responses, delayed or distorted speech, reduced sensibility to sound, etc. In the society, the hearing impaired "are in many instances still looked upon as different or peculiar" (ibid., p. 296). This is also true for the deaf person's workplace: Employers are seen to have the greatest tendency to look askance at the hearing disabled, particularly at the totally deaf. This is evidenced by the fact that the deaf as a whole are grossly under-employed (ibid.). It has further been observed that many deaf persons work at jobs unrelated to their interests and far below their aptitude and skills.
Methodology The purpose of this study is to assess the career behaviour of a group of deaf (mute) children and to identify its implications for the Nigerian counsellor. Population The population for this study is the Imo State School for the Deaf at Ofekata Orodo in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. The rationale for choosing the school is twofold. Firstly, it is a special school for a particular handicap (deafness). Secondly, the school runs the 3 - 3 system of secondary education just like the normal secondary school. It was felt that responses from the senior secondary
C. O. Iwundu
300
class 2 students would be authentic and reliable since they were nearing completion of their secondary school career. Sample The sample for the study was a group of twenty senior secondary class 2 students in a class with a total population of 58 students. The 20 respondents were randomly selected to give every member of the class the chance of being selected. Instrument Construction A search in some of our university libraries for an existing instrument for assessing the career behaviour of deaf students in secondary school proved abortive. Hence the researcher resorted to constructing a 7-item questionnaire instrument. This questionnaire was divided into two sections, namely: a biographical data selection section, and the problem section covering some factors that influence the choice of career or occupation (see Appendix).
Analysis of Data Twenty questionnaires were fully completed and accepted for computation. For the purpose of this study, the researchers present the responses to the questions in section B of the questionnaire in a tabular form as they relate to each research question.
Deaf Students Taking Jobs in Which They Are Disadvantaged by Their Handicap Research Question 1: Will deaf students like to take jobs where they will not be disadvantaged by their handicap? Table 1 was used in testing the above research question.
Table 1: Deaf Students Taking Jobs in Which They Are Disadvantaged by Their Handicap Sex
Boys
Girls
Age
19 - 22 years
15 - 18 years
Responses % No
%
Yes
Responses % No
%
75
25
2
50
50
Question 1 Yes Would you like to take a job where your disability will not disadvantage you?
12
4
3
Career Behaviours
301
It is observed from Table 1 that 75% of the boys responded that they would like to take a job where their disability will not disadvantage them while 25% of the sampled boys responded to the contrary. In respect to girls, 50% of those sampled hold the view that they would like to take jobs where their disability will not put them at a disadvantage. The contrary view was held by 50% of the girls. Research Question 2: Is salary a factor influencing the choice of occupation of the deaf? Table 2 was used in testing the above research question.
Table 2: Salary as a Factor InfluencingOccupational Choice of the Deaf Sex
Boys
Gifts
Age
19- 22 years
15 -18 years
Question 6 Yes Would you be more interested in your salary than in the job?
2
Responses % No 12.5
14
%
Yes
87.5
2
Responses % No
%
50
50
2
It is observed from Table 2 that 12.5% of the boys and 50% of the girls responded that they would be more interested in their salary than in their job. But 87.5% of the boys and 50% of the girls hold the view that they would not be more interested in their salary than the job. From the above data, one can conclude that salary is a factor influencing occupational choice of the deaf. Research Question 3: Will deaf students' attitude to their career be positive irrespective of their handicap? Table 3 was used in testing the above research question. In Question 2, 100% of both boys and girls hold the view that they will work so as to satisfy their bosses. In question 3, 100% of the boys as well as the girls responded positively to keeping rigid working hours. Question 4 deals with whether the respondents would like to work with others at their job. To this, 62.5% of the boys and 100% of the girls affirmed, but 37.5% of the boys hold a contrary view. Seventy-five percent of the boys and 100% of the girls hold the view that they will not grumble while carrying out their daily duties, while 25% of the boys in response to questions holds a contrary view. As for question 7, 87.5% of the boys and 100% of the girls answered that they would be polite to visitors or customers, while 12.5% of the boys thought differently on the issue. For the data in Table 3 therefore, the attitude of the deaf students towards work will be positive.
C.O. Iwundu
302
Table 3:
Deaf Students' Attitude to Their Career Sex
Boys
Girls
Age
19 - 22 years
15 - 18 years
Responses
Responses
Question Yes
%
2. Will you aim to work to satisfy your boss?
16
100
3. Will you keep rigid working hours?
16
100
4. Will you like to join others in their work?
10
5. Will you grumble while carrying out your daily duties?
4
7. Will you be polite to visitors or customers?
14
62.5
25
87.5
No
6
12
2
%
Yes
%
16
100
-
16
100
27.5
4
I00
75
12.5
4
No
%
4
100
100
Discussion The following discussion is based on the findings from the data collected.
Deaf Students Taking Jobs in Which They Are Disadvantaged by Their Handicap The sample studied showed that deaf students would like to take jobs in which they will not be disadvantaged by their handicap or disability. This may result from the fact that they are aware of their disability and its effect, and it implies that they might be conscious of the societal attitude to them as well as how employers view and treat them. Swanson and Willis (1979) reported that the deaf a whole are grossly underemployed. It is worth noting that the finding that the deaf students would like to work in places where they will not be disadvantaged contrasts sharply with Swanson and Willis's (ibid.) assertion that many deaf people work at jobs unrelated to their interests
Career Behaviours
303
and far below their aptitudes and skill. This assertion needs attention in view of the fact that wish, in this case, is clearly not the same as reality. Salary as a Factor Influencing Occupational Choices of the Deaf The subject of this study indicated that salary is a factor influencing their occupational choice. This may be because they know that society does not have much room for dependent persons and also because they are aware of their adult, developmental task of working, caring for themselves and their nuclear family. Salary may not be the only factor that influences their occupational choice. Half of the female subjects responded that they will be influenced by salary in choosing their career, while the other half holds a contrary view. Deaf Students' Attitude to Their Career The data collected revealed that the attitude of deaf students towards work will be positive. The positive attitude towards work may stem from the example set by their teachers. This will be the case where they see their teachers as models or significant others, who directly or indirectly influence them. In addition, due to the fact that they are disabled and despised in the society, they may want to compensate by working hard and having positive attitude towards work. Recommendations The findings and their implications for guidance and counselling form the basis on which the following recommendations are made. .
Efforts should be made by teachers and counsellors to identify career behaviour of handicapped children. These behaviours should be recorded in the student's cumulative record folder and made available to whoever is legally interacting with the handicapped in the teaching-learning process. These records should be transferred from primary to secondary school level.
.
Teaching/learning materials, usable by handicapped students in view of their disability, should be provided for use in the teaching-learning process of the handicapped.
.
Handicapped students should be taught by specialist teachers. These specialist teachers are better equipped to handle handicapped students according to their handicap.
.
Vocational guidance counsellors should be sent to each of the special schools. These counsellors should assist the handicapped in making their vocational choice, preparing for it, entering upon and progressing in it.
.
Government should provide jobs for handicapped persons so that their training will not be a waste, and to prevent them from feeling that they are being unfairly treated.
304
C. O. Iwundu
Conclusion No claim to finality can be made by this study. The findings of this study are ideographic and not nomothetic, and using them for generalization should therefore be done with caution. It is suggested that further work be done in the following areas: (a) (b)
the career behaviour of other types of handicap, and, extrinsic and intrinsic factors influencing vocational choice of different handicapped students. References
Grinzber, Eli, et al. (1951) Occupational choice. New York: Columbia University Press. Hayes, J., & Hopson, B. (1981). Career guidance. London: Heineman Educational. Ikpaya, B.O. (1987). Exceptional children and youth introduction to special education. Nigeria: Jameslat Printing Specialities. National Policy on Education. (1981) (revised). Lagos.
Super, D. (1957). The psychology of career. New York: Harper & Row. Swanson, B.M., & Willis, D.J. (1979). Understanding exceptional children andyouth. Chicago: Rand McNally.
The Author CHARLES O. IWUNDU is acting head of the Department of Guidance of Counselling, Rivers State College of Education, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
© 1994 Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in Great Britein. All rights reserved. 0191-491X/94 $26,00
Pergamon
0191-491 X(94)00025-5 AN A S S E S S M E N T OF T H E C A R E E R B E H A V I O U R S OF A G R O U P OF H A N D I C A P P E D C H I L D R E N - TH E D E A F IN N I GERI A Charles O. Iwundu Department of Guidance and Counselling, Rivers State College of Education, Port Harcourt, Nigena
Introduction In Nigeria positive efforts are being made to cater for handicapped children through special education. This can be seen from the National Policy of Education (1981, revised), whose objectives of special education in Nigeria include inter alia: .
2. 3.
To give concrete meaning to the idea of equalising educational opportunities for all children, their physical, mental, emotional disabilities notwithstanding. To provide adequate education for all handicapped children and adults in order that they may fully play their roles in the development of the nation. To provide opportunities for exceptionally gifted children to develop at their own pace in the interest of the nation's economic and technological development (N.P.E. 1981).
To achieve these objectives, education of the handicapped as well as of gifted children is free at the primary and secondary level but the federal government of Nigeria plans to extend this to all levels, up to university. In addition, the federal government plans that vocational schools will be made to reserve places for further education of handicapped children (N.P.E., 1981, p. 37). Statement of Problems Different jobs require different abilities. The handicapped or disabled person is by his disability limited in terms of the jobs in which he can seek employment. This is a problem to the handicapped person. Specifically, the deaf and dumb have a problem in hearing and communicating with people. The often derogatory attitude to his handicap often places such an individual in a bad psychological position and may affect work vis-a-vis productivity. The deaf and dumb adolescent, like any other normal adolescent, has the developmental task of achieving economic independence and selecting and 297
C. O. Iwundu
298
preparing for developmental In view deaf and dumb
an occupation. Adolescents need to be helped to achieve this task because occupational choice is a crucial life decision. of these problems and needs, the assessment of the career behaviour of students is being carried out.
The Scope of the Study In view of time constraints the researcher will limit the study to Imo State School for the deaf Ofekata Orodo, in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. The study will assess the career behaviour of a group of deaf students while controlling for age, sex, educational level and socio-economic status.
Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study is .
2. .
4.
To assess the career behaviour of deaf students. To find out if salary and handicap are factors influencing the occupational choice of deaf students. To assess the attitude of the deaf towards work. To assist vocational guidance counsellors through the findings of this study in the process of giving career information to deaf students, counselling them on how to adjust in their future places of work and also to improve positive attitude to work.
Research Questions The following research questions were generated in this study: Will deaf students like to take jobs where they will not be disadvantaged by their handicap? .
3.
Is salary a factor influencing the choice of occupation of the deaf? Will deaf students' attitude to their career be positive irrespective of their handicap?
Basic Assumptions In this study, it is assumed that keeping the deaf students in a special school is tantamount to labelling them. Labelling has negative effects on handicapped children as they tend to be withdrawn. They are plagued by the feeling of inferiority and find integration hard. It is further assumed that they may want to compensate by doing
Career Behaviours
299
things or work which "normal" people do. The alternative is to be abjectly withdrawn and resort to living a hopeless life.
Significance of the Study The findings from this study will go a long way to assisting vocational guidance counsellors in the process of giving career information to deaf students and also in counselling the latter on how to adjust in their future places of work while also improving positive attitudes to work. Who Is a Deaf Person? A deaf person is one whose hearing disability precludes successful processing of linguistic information through audition, with or without a hearing aid (Ikpaya, 1987). Hearing impairment may include conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, or mixed hearing loss. These may be caused, among other things, by toxemia of pregnancy, prematurity, antepartum bleeding, maternal infection, prolonged labour, difficult delivery, etc. (Swanson, & Willis, 1979). A number of studies have shown that the heating impaired have certain characteristics. These characteristics include sound discrimination problems, incorrect responses, delayed or distorted speech, reduced sensibility to sound, etc. In the society, the hearing impaired "are in many instances still looked upon as different or peculiar" (ibid., p. 296). This is also true for the deaf person's workplace: Employers are seen to have the greatest tendency to look askance at the hearing disabled, particularly at the totally deaf. This is evidenced by the fact that the deaf as a whole are grossly under-employed (ibid.). It has further been observed that many deaf persons work at jobs unrelated to their interests and far below their aptitude and skills.
Methodology The purpose of this study is to assess the career behaviour of a group of deaf (mute) children and to identify its implications for the Nigerian counsellor. Population The population for this study is the Imo State School for the Deaf at Ofekata Orodo in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. The rationale for choosing the school is twofold. Firstly, it is a special school for a particular handicap (deafness). Secondly, the school runs the 3 - 3 system of secondary education just like the normal secondary school. It was felt that responses from the senior secondary
C. O. Iwundu
300
class 2 students would be authentic and reliable since they were nearing completion of their secondary school career. Sample The sample for the study was a group of twenty senior secondary class 2 students in a class with a total population of 58 students. The 20 respondents were randomly selected to give every member of the class the chance of being selected. Instrument Construction A search in some of our university libraries for an existing instrument for assessing the career behaviour of deaf students in secondary school proved abortive. Hence the researcher resorted to constructing a 7-item questionnaire instrument. This questionnaire was divided into two sections, namely: a biographical data selection section, and the problem section covering some factors that influence the choice of career or occupation (see Appendix).
Analysis of Data Twenty questionnaires were fully completed and accepted for computation. For the purpose of this study, the researchers present the responses to the questions in section B of the questionnaire in a tabular form as they relate to each research question.
Deaf Students Taking Jobs in Which They Are Disadvantaged by Their Handicap Research Question 1: Will deaf students like to take jobs where they will not be disadvantaged by their handicap? Table 1 was used in testing the above research question.
Table 1: Deaf Students Taking Jobs in Which They Are Disadvantaged by Their Handicap Sex
Boys
Girls
Age
19 - 22 years
15 - 18 years
Responses % No
%
Yes
Responses % No
%
75
25
2
50
50
Question 1 Yes Would you like to take a job where your disability will not disadvantage you?
12
4
3
Career Behaviours
301
It is observed from Table 1 that 75% of the boys responded that they would like to take a job where their disability will not disadvantage them while 25% of the sampled boys responded to the contrary. In respect to girls, 50% of those sampled hold the view that they would like to take jobs where their disability will not put them at a disadvantage. The contrary view was held by 50% of the girls. Research Question 2: Is salary a factor influencing the choice of occupation of the deaf? Table 2 was used in testing the above research question.
Table 2: Salary as a Factor InfluencingOccupational Choice of the Deaf Sex
Boys
Gifts
Age
19- 22 years
15 -18 years
Question 6 Yes Would you be more interested in your salary than in the job?
2
Responses % No 12.5
14
%
Yes
87.5
2
Responses % No
%
50
50
2
It is observed from Table 2 that 12.5% of the boys and 50% of the girls responded that they would be more interested in their salary than in their job. But 87.5% of the boys and 50% of the girls hold the view that they would not be more interested in their salary than the job. From the above data, one can conclude that salary is a factor influencing occupational choice of the deaf. Research Question 3: Will deaf students' attitude to their career be positive irrespective of their handicap? Table 3 was used in testing the above research question. In Question 2, 100% of both boys and girls hold the view that they will work so as to satisfy their bosses. In question 3, 100% of the boys as well as the girls responded positively to keeping rigid working hours. Question 4 deals with whether the respondents would like to work with others at their job. To this, 62.5% of the boys and 100% of the girls affirmed, but 37.5% of the boys hold a contrary view. Seventy-five percent of the boys and 100% of the girls hold the view that they will not grumble while carrying out their daily duties, while 25% of the boys in response to questions holds a contrary view. As for question 7, 87.5% of the boys and 100% of the girls answered that they would be polite to visitors or customers, while 12.5% of the boys thought differently on the issue. For the data in Table 3 therefore, the attitude of the deaf students towards work will be positive.
C.O. Iwundu
302
Table 3:
Deaf Students' Attitude to Their Career Sex
Boys
Girls
Age
19 - 22 years
15 - 18 years
Responses
Responses
Question Yes
%
2. Will you aim to work to satisfy your boss?
16
100
3. Will you keep rigid working hours?
16
100
4. Will you like to join others in their work?
10
5. Will you grumble while carrying out your daily duties?
4
7. Will you be polite to visitors or customers?
14
62.5
25
87.5
No
6
12
2
%
Yes
%
16
100
-
16
100
27.5
4
I00
75
12.5
4
No
%
4
100
100
Discussion The following discussion is based on the findings from the data collected.
Deaf Students Taking Jobs in Which They Are Disadvantaged by Their Handicap The sample studied showed that deaf students would like to take jobs in which they will not be disadvantaged by their handicap or disability. This may result from the fact that they are aware of their disability and its effect, and it implies that they might be conscious of the societal attitude to them as well as how employers view and treat them. Swanson and Willis (1979) reported that the deaf a whole are grossly underemployed. It is worth noting that the finding that the deaf students would like to work in places where they will not be disadvantaged contrasts sharply with Swanson and Willis's (ibid.) assertion that many deaf people work at jobs unrelated to their interests
Career Behaviours
303
and far below their aptitudes and skill. This assertion needs attention in view of the fact that wish, in this case, is clearly not the same as reality. Salary as a Factor Influencing Occupational Choices of the Deaf The subject of this study indicated that salary is a factor influencing their occupational choice. This may be because they know that society does not have much room for dependent persons and also because they are aware of their adult, developmental task of working, caring for themselves and their nuclear family. Salary may not be the only factor that influences their occupational choice. Half of the female subjects responded that they will be influenced by salary in choosing their career, while the other half holds a contrary view. Deaf Students' Attitude to Their Career The data collected revealed that the attitude of deaf students towards work will be positive. The positive attitude towards work may stem from the example set by their teachers. This will be the case where they see their teachers as models or significant others, who directly or indirectly influence them. In addition, due to the fact that they are disabled and despised in the society, they may want to compensate by working hard and having positive attitude towards work. Recommendations The findings and their implications for guidance and counselling form the basis on which the following recommendations are made. .
Efforts should be made by teachers and counsellors to identify career behaviour of handicapped children. These behaviours should be recorded in the student's cumulative record folder and made available to whoever is legally interacting with the handicapped in the teaching-learning process. These records should be transferred from primary to secondary school level.
.
Teaching/learning materials, usable by handicapped students in view of their disability, should be provided for use in the teaching-learning process of the handicapped.
.
Handicapped students should be taught by specialist teachers. These specialist teachers are better equipped to handle handicapped students according to their handicap.
.
Vocational guidance counsellors should be sent to each of the special schools. These counsellors should assist the handicapped in making their vocational choice, preparing for it, entering upon and progressing in it.
.
Government should provide jobs for handicapped persons so that their training will not be a waste, and to prevent them from feeling that they are being unfairly treated.
304
C. O. Iwundu
Conclusion No claim to finality can be made by this study. The findings of this study are ideographic and not nomothetic, and using them for generalization should therefore be done with caution. It is suggested that further work be done in the following areas: (a) (b)
the career behaviour of other types of handicap, and, extrinsic and intrinsic factors influencing vocational choice of different handicapped students. References
Grinzber, Eli, et al. (1951) Occupational choice. New York: Columbia University Press. Hayes, J., & Hopson, B. (1981). Career guidance. London: Heineman Educational. Ikpaya, B.O. (1987). Exceptional children and youth introduction to special education. Nigeria: Jameslat Printing Specialities. National Policy on Education. (1981) (revised). Lagos.
Super, D. (1957). The psychology of career. New York: Harper & Row. Swanson, B.M., & Willis, D.J. (1979). Understanding exceptional children andyouth. Chicago: Rand McNally.
The Author CHARLES O. IWUNDU is acting head of the Department of Guidance of Counselling, Rivers State College of Education, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.