Social Studies Teachers’ ICT Proficiency for Teaching in Schools for the Deaf in Ghana

Abstract

The study sought to examine how knowledge and skill in ICT of Social Studies teachers influence their teaching of the subject to students who are deaf in schools in Ghana. The study was hinged on the Social Cognitive Theory and Human Capital Theory and used convergent parallel design with the mixed methods approach. The population for the study comprised all JHS Social Studies teachers and headteachers numbering 42 in the 14 public schools for the deaf in Ghana. Census sampling was used to select all the 28 respondents (teachers) for the quantitative phase while convenience sampling technique was also used to sample 14 participants for the qualitative aspects of the study. Data was gathered through questionnaire for the quantitative data and analysed using descriptive measures (frequencies and percentages, means and standard deviations) while the qualitative data was accessed through semi-structured interviews and textually analyzed. The findings showed that the majority of Social Studies teachers handling deaf students possessed requisite knowledge and skills in ICT and showed interest in teaching the subject, nevertheless, only few of them employed ICT in teaching Social Studies. It is recommended that Social Studies teachers to students who are deaf be provided with computers and taken through regular in-service training to help them meet their special needs and other ICT tools.