Approaches to studying among students with disabilities at the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

The study explored the approaches to studying adopted by students with disabilities at the University of Education, Winneba. The participants included students with visual impairments, students who were deaf or hard of hearing, and students with physical disabilities.

A quantitative survey design was used. From a population of 125 undergraduate students with disabilities, 78 participants were randomly selected. Data were collected using the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students and analysed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance.

The findings showed that the students’ most preferred learning approach was the strategic approach, followed by the deep approach, while the surface approach was the least preferred. The study also found a statistically significant difference in the use of the strategic learning approach among the three groups of students with disabilities.

The authors recommended that university lecturers should consider the preferred learning approaches of students with disabilities when planning teaching, learning activities and instructional support. This would help lecturers adapt their teaching practices to the diverse learning needs of students with disabilities.