A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF GPA OF STUDENTS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL NEEDS EDUACTION AND REHABILITATION SCIENCES KADUNA POLYTECHNIC

ABSTRACT This study investigated the longitudinal academic performance of students with hearing impairment in the Department of Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, Kaduna Polytechnic. The primary focus was on the Grade Point Average (GPA) progression of both National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) students from the 1st to the 4th semester. The objectives of the study were to: assess the entry result GPA of ND and HND students, and compare the progressive GPA results between the two groups. A descriptive and longitudinal research design was adopted. Four ND students and four HND students were purposively selected as the sample. Their semester-wise GPAs were collected, organized, and analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum) and inferential statistics (paired t-test) to identify trends, variations, and statistically significant differences. The findings revealed that ND students exhibited steady and consistent GPA progression across all four semesters, while HND students showed greater variability in GPA but demonstrated overall improvement by the 4th semester. Comparative analysis indicated that ND students had slightly higher GPAs, but the difference between ND and HND mean GPAs was not statistically significant, as confirmed by the paired t-test (t = 0.746, p > 0.05). The study concluded that students with hearing impairment are capable of maintaining consistent academic performance with proper institutional support and adaptive learning strategies. Recommendations were made for the polytechnic, lecturers, and students to enhance academic support systems, promote inclusive education practices, and conduct further research on the impact of social and psychological factors on academic performance.