EFFECT OF STUDENT DISABILITY ONTHE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN ELEMENTARY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN RWANDA A CASE OFGISAGARA DISTRICT
Authors:   Department, Education, Mount Kenya University, Rwanda., Noella Niyomwungeri , Opiyo Andala (PhD) Hesbon ,   Department, Education, Mount Kigali University.
Published: July 2024

Background:The research investigated the effect of student disability on academic performance in elementary science and technology in public primary schools in Rwanda, in the Gisagara district. Specifically, the research identified the student disability that affect the academic performance in elementary science and technology in public primary schools in Rwanda. Determined the level of academic performance among the disabled students in elementary science and technology in public primary schools in Rwanda and found out the relationship between the effect of student disability on the academic performance in elementary science and technology in public primary schools in Rwanda. The population in this study consisted of 377 respondents, while their sample size was 194. Methods and Materials: To triangulate the data, primary sources were acquired utilizing questionnaires, interviews, and observation methods. To generate a sample population from the respondents, this study employed purposive, stratified, and simple random sampling methods. In data gathering and analysis, the study used both quantitative and qualitative methodologies in tandem. Content analysis aided qualitative data analysis, while quantitative data was presented using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (correlational and regression analysis) in IBM SPSS Version 21.0. Results:For the first objective, results indicate that 86.1% strongly agreed that some students have a vision disability, 96.6% strongly agreed that some students are deaf or hard of hearing, 76.9% strongly agreed that some students have mental and bad health conditions, 69.4% strongly agreed that some students have an intellectual disability, and 83.8% strongly agreed that some students have a physical disability. For the second objective, 74.3% strongly agreed that higher national examination results 85.1% strongly agreed that understanding how to combine substances 75.7% strongly agreed that the ability to conduct scientific experiments and 68.9% strongly agreed that scientific innovation development among students indicates the level of academic performance among the disabled students in elementary science and technology. Results on the relationship between the effect of student disability on the academic performance in elementary science and technology in public primary schools in Rwanda. The study reveals a significant positive correlation between vision impairment, deafness, and higher national examination results in Rwandan public primary schools. Adjustments for vision impairment improve students understanding of substance combinations and scientific innovation. Mental health conditions also correlate with higher national examination results. These findings suggest that they are correlated since most of their level of significance was greater than 0.05 in association with the academic performance in elementary science and technology in public primary schools in Rwanda. Conclusion:It is recommended that the Rwandan government recommend providing resources and materials for disabled students, encouraging parents to be aware of their children, and providing training to teachers. They also suggest implementing systems for coordination, monitoring, enforcement, and restitution, inclusive curricula, teacher training, hiring more instructors with disabilities, reducing societal barriers, and increasing education funding. The researcher suggests they need to investigate the barriers to the implementation of the inclusion of learners with mild intellectual disabilities in regular primary schools in Rwanda.