A Comparative Study on the Impact of Cognitive Strategy Instruction in Teaching Students with Hearing and Visual Impairment in Special Education Centre in Bauchi State

This study investigated the impact of cognitive strategy instruction on the academic performance of students with hearing impairment and students with visual impairment in a Special Education Center in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Using a quasi-experimental comparative design, forty (40) students were purposively selected as participants, comprising twenty (20) students with hearing impairment and twenty (20) students with visual impairment. Data were collected through a Cognitive Strategy Learning Achievement Test (CSLAT) administered as pre-test and post-test. Cognitive strategy instruction was implemented over a four-week period, focusing on strategies such as summarization, self-questioning, concept mapping, rehearsal, and monitoring of comprehension. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (independent samples t-test) at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that cognitive strategy instruction significantly improved the academic performance of both groups, with mean post-test scores of 67.85 for hearing-impaired students and 63.40 for visually impaired students. The t-test indicated a statistically significant difference between the groups (t = 2.11, p = 0.041), suggesting differential effects of the intervention depending on sensory modality. The study concluded that cognitive strategy instruction is an effective approach for enhancing learning outcomes among students with sensory disabilities, particularly when instructional strategies are adapted to learners’ modalities. Recommendations include systematic integration of cognitive strategies into special education curricula, teacher training, adaptation of instructional materials, and use of assistive technologies to optimize learning for diverse disability groups.