Correlationship Between Hardware Assistive Technology Integration and Academic Performance among Secondary School Science Students with Learning Disabilities in Adamawa State, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64348/zije.2026551Abstract
This study investigated hardware assistive technology as a predictor of academic performance among secondary school science students with learning disabilities in Adamawa State, Nigeria. The study was guided by one objective, one research question, and one null hypothesis. A predictive correlational research design was employed, with a target population comprising 294 science students with learning disabilities from four special education centres in Adamawa State. A sample of 133 students was selected using purposive sampling technique based on identified learning disabilities, class level, and length of stay in school. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled Assistive Technology Questionnaire (ATQ) and an academic performance proforma. The instruments were validated by three experts and achieved a reliability coefficient of 0.83 using Cronbach Alpha. Descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research question, while linear regression analysis was employed to test the null hypothesis at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that the level of use of hardware assistive technology was high (Grand Mean = 3.93, S.D = 1.21). Regression analysis showed that hardware assistive technology significantly predicted academic performance, F(1,131) = 44.935, p < 0.05, accounting for 25.5% of the variance (R² = 0.255). The study concluded that hardware assistive technology is a significant positive predictor of academic performance among students with learning disabilities. It was recommended that schools continue to provide and upgrade hardware tools such as computers, Braille devices, and audio equipment to sustain and improve students' learning outcomes, and that the Ministry of Education should develop policies to ensure equitable distribution of hardware assistive technologies across all special education centres.
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