The Role of Music in Speech Intelligibility of Learners with Post Lingual Hearing Impairment in Selected Units in Lusaka District

Abstract

This study sought to establish the role of music in speech intelligibility of learners with Post Lingual Hearing Impairment (PLHI) and strategies teachers used to enhance speech intelligibility in learners with PLHI in selected special units for the deaf in Lusaka district. The study used a descriptive research design. Qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. A total of 100 respondents participated in the study. Simple random and purposeful sampling procedures were used to select respondents. The study found that music played a significant role in enhancing speech intelligibility as it motivated learners during speech drills. It also helped in clearing the vocal cord, facilitating verbal memory, widening vocabulary, improving word pronunciation and sentence construction leading to speech intelligibility acquisition. The study also identified several strategies that teachers used to help learners acquire speech intelligibility and these include use of total communication, encouraging lip reading, use of amplification devices among other techniques. On the basis of the study findings, it was recommended that; teachers should use music in speech training of learners with PLHI. The Ministry of Education Science Vocational training and Early Education (MESTVEE) need to modify classrooms with acoustically treated walls and fit amplification devices, speech mirrors and other necessary equipment specifically designed to meet educational needs.