Teachers' competence in identifying pupils with learning disabilities: A study in Nigerian primary schools

Mfon Eyo and Eme Nkanga
University of Calabar, Nigeria

This study used a survey designed to establish the predictors of teachers' competence in identifying pupils with suspected cases of learning disabilities. An instrument developed by the researchers, the Questionnaire on Teachers' Competence in Identifying Pupils with Learning Disabilities (QTCIPLD) gather data from a sample of 200 teachers from 10 public primary schools in Calabar Municipality, Cross River State, Nigeria. The QTCIPLD was validated by three experts while its reliability was established as 0.83 using Cronbach's alpha. The findings indicated that the level of competence of teachers in identifying students with suspected cases of learning disabilities was low; and that differences in teachers' competence could be related to gender, educational qualification and professional status, but not to years of teaching experience. It is concluded that some personal variables are predictors of teachers' level of competence in identifying students with suspected cases of learning disability, while some are not. We recommend that counsellors should liaise with other stakeholders to organise training programs and workshops aimed at improving the level of competence of teachers with regards to identifying pupils with suspected cases of learning disabilities, thus facilitating referrals for expert assessments.
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Authors: Dr Mfon Eyo holds a PhD in guidance and counselling, and lectures in the University of Calabar, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. His research interest spans across cyber counselling, ICT in education, vulnerable group (women, children/youth and the aged). He is an educationist par excellence, and has published in many reputable journals. Email: dr.mfon.eyo@gmail.com ORCID: 0000-0003-2324-9549 https://web.facebook.com/mfon.eyo https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-mfon-eyo-165a3941/ Mrs Eme Nkanga is a Masters degree student in the Department of Guidance and Counselling, University of Calabar, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. She is a member of the Counselling Association of Nigeria, and has a passion for research on children. Email: emenkanga@gmail.com Please cite as: Eyo, M. & Nkanga, E. (2020). Teachers' competence in identifying pupils with learning disabilities: A study in Nigerian primary schools. Issues in Educational Research, 30(3), 883-896. http://www.iier.org.au/iier30/eyo.pdf