Thesis:

Relationship between self-esteem and academic performance among the hearing-impaired students in Kuja secondary school for the deaf, Rongo subcounty, Migori county, Kenya.

Most researchers tend to agree there exists a relationship between self-esteem and academic performance, however, other scholars do not agree. This research explored the relationship that exists between self-esteem and academic performance among hearing-impaired students in Rongo Subcounty. The study was conducted in Kuja School for the Deaf. The following were the study objectives: the different levels of self-esteem, the difference in academic performance as portrayed by students with different levels of self-esteem and the coping mechanisms hearing impaired students use to protect and enhance self-esteem. This study was supported by Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs which states; individuals work to fulfill higher needs only after lower needs are fulfilled. The study also used Person Centered Theory propounded by Carl Roger’s which posits that self-understanding of a child is in the acceptance of self and reality. This study was a mixed study and used questionnaires to collect data. Self – esteem was measured using RSES (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale); examination scores were employed to assess academic performance and a Likert scale was used to determine coping mechanisms. Students at Kuja School for the Deaf and the headteacher and deputy were the target population for this research. A total of 290 participants was targeted. A sample size of 98 participants were sampled to take part in the research. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were employed to select the 98 participants. In preparation for the main data collecting exercise, a pilot study with a subsequent retest was conducted. The pilot test was done at Sam’s Place for the Deaf. Quantitative data was organized and analyzed using descriptive statistics and presentation made in form of tables, charts and frequencies. Qualitative data was presented n narrations. From the research results, it was deduced that majority (77.08%) of the students had a high self-esteem while 22.92% had low self-esteem hence concluding that Deaf students in Kenya exhibit high self-esteem. The findings also showed that the average scores between hearing impaired students who exhibited low self-esteem and the ones having high self-esteem was not significant statistically. The findings further revealed that the students mostly used withdrawal and bicultural skills as coping mechanisms. On the basis of this study’s findings, the research suggests that teachers and the school’s administrators should seek to understand the needs and challenges of the students with low esteem and adopt strategies to address them.