GAMS

Article Details

Vol. 2 No. 3 (2026): February

Effects of Manual Communication Method on Listening Proficiency of Students with Hearing Impairment in Special Schools in Lafia Metropolis, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

https://doi.org/10.35912/gams.v2i3.4110

Abstract

Purpose:  This study aimed to investigate the effects of manual communication methods on the listening proficiency of students with hearing impairment in special schools in Lafia Metropolis, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.

Research Methodology:  A quasi-experimental design was used with 57 students with hearing impairment from two schools in Malaysia. The experimental group (n=15) received instruction using the manual communication method, including sign language, finger spelling, gestures, and visual cues, while the control group (n=14) received oral communication instruction emphasizing speech and lip reading. Listening proficiency was measured using a validated 100-mark Listening Proficiency Assessment Tool, with a Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of 0.82. Data were analyzed using t-tests and two-way analyses of variance.

Results:  The experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in post-test scores (M = 72.40, SD = 8.30) vs. (M = 58.20, SD = 7.90), with a large effect size (Cohen's d = 1.76). Age of hearing loss onset and parental communication mode influenced the effectiveness of communication methods.

Conclusions: Manual communication significantly enhances listening proficiency among students with hearing impairment and should be prioritized in special schools. Teacher training programs should integrate comprehensive manual communication instructions.

Limitations:  The study's limitations include a  small sample size and focus on a single geographic area.

Contributions: This study highlights the effectiveness of manual communication in improving listening proficiency among students with hearing impairment and emphasizes the need for targeted teacher training.

Keywords

Hearing Impairment Listening Proficiency Manual Communication Method Special Schools Teacher Training

How to Cite

Yakubu, A. ., & Joseph, T. . (2026). Effects of Manual Communication Method on Listening Proficiency of Students with Hearing Impairment in Special Schools in Lafia Metropolis, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Global Academy of Multidisciplinary Studies, 2(3), 215–224. https://doi.org/10.35912/gams.v2i3.4110

Download Citation

Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX

References

  1. Ajaero, C. N., & Chia, T. J. (2026). Effects of Total Communication Method on Expressive Skills of Students with Hearing Impairment in Government Comprehensive School, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Spanish Journal of Innovation and Integrity, 52, 106-115.
  2. Calvert, G. A., Brammer, M. J., & Iversen, S. D. (1998). Crossmodal identification. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 2(7), 247-253. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S1364-6613(98)01189-9
  3. Curtin, M., Herman, R., Cruice, M., & Morgan, G. (2021). Assessing parent–child interaction in infant deafness. Current opinion in otolaryngology & head and neck surgery, 29(3), 200-203. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/MOO.0000000000000710
  4. de Jong, T. J., van der Schroeff, M. P., Stapersma, L., & Vroegop, J. L. (2024). A systematic review on the impact of auditory functioning and language proficiency on psychosocial difficulties in children and adolescents with hearing loss. International Journal of Audiology, 63(9), 675-685. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/14992027.2023.2261074
  5. Dostal, H. M., Scott, J. A., Chappell, M. D., & Black, C. (2025). A scoping review of literacy interventions using signed languages for school-age deaf students. Behavioral Sciences, 15(8), 1104. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15081104
  6. Edyburn, D. L. (2013). Critical issues in advancing the special education technology evidence base. Exceptional Children, 80(1), 7-24. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/001440291308000107
  7. Haripin, H., Indraprakoso, D., Wibisono, G., & Utomo, H. (2025). Understanding fintech excellence: A scholarly review of the diploma fintech model for effective global implementation. International Journal of Financial, Accounting, and Management, 7(3), 387-406. doi:10.35912/ijfam.v7i3.2825
  8. Harris, A. B., Seeliger, E., Hess, C., Sedey, A. L., Kristensen, K., Lee, Y., & Chung, W. (2022). Early identification of hearing loss and language development at 32 months of age. Journal of otorhinolaryngology, hearing and balance medicine, 3(4), 8. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/ohbm3040008
  9. Holcomb, L., Dostal, H., & Wolbers, K. (2025). A comparative study of how teachers communicate in deaf education classrooms. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 30(1), 80-93. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/jdsade/enae043
  10. Houston, D. M., & Bergeson, T. R. (2014). Hearing versus listening: Attention to speech and its role in language acquisition in deaf infants with cochlear implants. Lingua, 139, 10-25. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2013.08.001
  11. Karovska Ristovska, A., & Ramo Akgün, N. (2021). Communication Methods for Students with Hearing Impairment (pp. 79-100).
  12. Lemke, U., & Scherpiet, S. (2015). Oral communication in individuals with hearing impairment—considerations regarding attentional, cognitive and social resources. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 998. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00998
  13. M, M., Na, A., J, A., Y, A., & Si, K. (2026). Health and Nutrition Profile of Children with Disabilities Attending Special School in Lafia, Nasarawa State: A Cross-Sectional Study. Galore International Journal of Health Sciences and Research, 53. doi:https://doi.org/10.52403/gijhsr.20260108
  14. Marschark, M., & Wauters, L. (2008). Language Comprehension and Learning by Deaf Students (pp. 309-350).
  15. Mason, C., & Chinn, K. M. (2010). Augmentative–Alternative Communication. In P. Peterson, E. Baker, & B. McGaw (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of Education (Third Edition) (pp. 544-549). Oxford: Elsevier.
  16. Mayer, C. C., & Trezek, B. J. (2023). Communication, language, and modality in the education of deaf students. Education Sciences, 13(10), 1033. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13101033
  17. Mealings, K., Miles, K., Tran, Y., Smith, T., & Buchholz, J. M. (2025). Listening and learning challenges for deaf or hard of hearing students during different classroom scenarios: An itinerant teachers of the deaf perspective. Speech, Language and Hearing, 28(1), 2372181. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/2050571X.2024.2372181
  18. Moeller, M. P. (2000). Early intervention and language development in children who are deaf and hard of hearing. Pediatrics, 106(3), e43-e43. doi:https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.106.3.e43
  19. Moores, D. F. (2010). The History of Language and Communication Issues in Deaf Education. In M. Marschark & P. E. Spencer (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Deaf Studies, Language, and Education, Vol. 2 (pp. 0): Oxford University Press.
  20. Neal, K., McMahon, C. M., Hughes, S. E., & Boisvert, I. (2022). Listening-based communication ability in adults with hearing loss: a scoping review of existing measures. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 786347. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.786347
  21. Perception, P. (2003). Speech production and perception. Robert W. Proctor, 237.
  22. Rindang, A., Yeni, P., Fitriani, W., & Kiat, T. (2024). The Communication Ability with Sign Language by Teachers Towards the Achievements of Special Needs Children who are deaf. Darussalam: Journal of Psychology and Educational, 3(1), 29-37. doi:https://doi.org/10.70363/djpe.v3i1.206
  23. Rodríguez-Ortiz, I. R., Moreno-Pérez, F. J., & Saldaña, D. (2025). Reading metacomprehension of Spanish deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 30(1), 60-69. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/jdsade/enae030
  24. Shekwo, P., Ogah, A., & Umaru, Y. (2025). Teacher perceptions on the effect of speech disorder on educational development of school-age students in Government Comprehensive Special School, Lafia, Nasarawa State. International Journal of Arts, Languages, Linguistics and Literary Studies, 14, 116-125. doi:https://doi.org/10.4314/jolls.v14i4.11
  25. Shojaei, E., Jafari, Z., & Gholami, M. (2016). Effect of early intervention on language development in hearing-impaired children. Iranian journal of otorhinolaryngology, 28(84), 13.
  26. Singh, D., & Dubey, D. (2025). Deaf Education and Sign Language: Strategies, Challenges, and Benefits. Naveen International Journal of Multidisciplinary Sciences (NIJMS), 1, 75-82. doi:https://doi.org/10.71126/nijms.v1i3.26
  27. Spencer, L. J., Marschark, M., Machmer, E., Durkin, A., Borgna, G., & Convertino, C. (2018). Communication skills of deaf and hard-of-hearing college students: Objective measures and self-assessment. Journal of Communication Disorders, 75, 13-24. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2018.06.002
  28. Vaccari, C., & Marschark, M. (1997). Communication between parents and deaf children: Implications for social?emotional development. Journal of child Psychology and Psychiatry, 38(7), 793-801. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1997.tb01597.x
  29. Vaughn, S., & Swanson, E. A. (2015). Special education research advances knowledge in education. Exceptional Children, 82(1), 11-24. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402915598781
  30. Wolbers, K., Holcomb, L., & Hamman-Ortiz, L. (2023). Translanguaging framework for deaf education. Languages, 8(1), 59. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/languages8010059

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors

1 . Andrew Yakubu
Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa, Nigeria
2 . Terkula Joseph
Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa, Nigeria

Downloads

View PDF

Statistics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 3 (2026): February
Section: Articles
WhatsApp Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Email