EFFECTIVENESS OF THE NONVISUAL DESKTOP ACCESS (NVDA) SCREEN READER IN ENHANCING CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION AMONG LEARNERS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT IN SELECTED INCLUSIVE SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KOGI STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA) screen reader in enhancing climate change education among visually impaired students in selected inclusive secondary schools in Kogi State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study examined the effect of the NVDA screen reader on students' academic performance, engagement during instruction, and learning outcomes in selected climate change concepts. A quantitative quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test non-equivalent control group design was adopted. The study involved 83 visually impaired senior secondary school students drawn from three inclusive secondary schools. The participants were assigned to an experimental group (n = 41), which received instruction using the NVDA screen reader, and a control group (n = 42), which was taught using conventional oral instructional methods. Data were collected using the researcher-developed Climate Change Achievement Test (CCAT) and Student Engagement Scale (SES), with reliability coefficients of 0.82 and 0.86, respectively. Descriptive statistics were used to answer the research questions, while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that students in the experimental group achieved higher academic performance (post-test mean = 28.17; mean gain = 6.61) than those in the control group (post-test mean = 24.10; mean gain = 2.67). The ANCOVA result showed a significant difference in academic performance, F(1, 80) = 10.87, p = 0.0016. Similarly, students taught using the NVDA screen reader demonstrated higher engagement (post-test mean = 42.34) than those taught using conventional instruction (post-test mean = 36.10), with a significant difference observed, F(1, 80) = 26.83, p < 0.0001. The study concluded that the NVDA screen reader significantly improves the academic performance, engagement, and learning outcomes of visually impaired students in climate change education. The study recommended the integration of NVDA into inclusive science education, regular teacher training, and the provision of accessible digital learning resources in secondary schools.