Socio-Cultural Factors as Determinants of Learning Experience of Exceptional Children in Ekiti State Secondary Schools (Published)
This study examined socio-cultural factors as determinants of learning experiences of exceptional children in Ekiti State Secondary Schools. The specific objectives were to investigate the relationship between learning experiences and family structures, religious beliefs, ethnicity, gender norms, community attitudes of exceptional children in Ekiti State Secondary Schools, Nigeria. The descriptive research design of the survey type was adopted for this study. The population for this study consists of all secondary school students in Ekiti State and a total sample of 600 Students were selected using multistage sampling procedure. An instrument titled “Socio-Cultural Factors and Learning Experiences of Exceptional Children Questionnaire(SCFLEECQ)” was used to collect data for the study. The instrument was validated by various experts using the face and content validity. For the reliability of the instrument, test-retest method was employed which yield a reliability coefficient of 0.80. The data collected were analyzed using inferential statistics of Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed significant relationship between family structures, religious beliefs, ethnicity, gender norms, community attitudes and the learning experiences of exceptional children. The study concluded that socio-cultural factors have significant positive relationships with learning experiences of exceptional children. It was recommended that State Ministry of Education should establish Family Support Centers in all Local Government Areas to provide counselling, guidance, and training programs for families of exceptional children. Also, religious leaders and organizations in Ekiti State should be engaged as partners in inclusive education advocacy through interfaith dialogue programs that promote positive theological interpretations of disability and culturally responsive special education training programs should be mandatory for all teachers and school administrators working with exceptional children in Ekiti State.
Keywords: Ekiti State, Learning experience, Secondary Schools, Socio-cultural, exceptional children