BLIND STUDENTS' ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL DIFFICULTIES AND COPING MECHANISMS INETHIOPIAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Keywords:
Blind, Challenges, Coping strategies, Primary schools, StudentsAbstract
The purpose of this study was to examine theacademic and social difficulties faced by blind pupils in Ethiopian elementary schools, as well as their coping mechanisms. It employed the narrative design of a qualitative research method to achieve this. A purposive sampling method was used to choose 15 blind students. Data were gathered through focus group discussions and interviews, and word-by-word narrative analysis was used to examine the results. The findings from every respondent showed that blind students in the participating schools faced academic challenges like a lack of instructional resources, an inaccessible learning environment, a rigid curriculum, and a lack of mobility and orientation training.However, blind pupils' learning has been impacted by social issues like hostility from instructors, peers, parents, and other members of society. The study also discovered that blind students used problem-focused coping mechanisms, such as cooperation and tenacity to overcome social and educational challenges. The study suggests that the local government and other stakeholders take prompt and serious action to address the academic and social difficulties found in the participantschools.
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