Maina, Moses Gitonga2024-09-262024-09-262024-07https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/28903A Research Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Masters of Education (Special Needs Education) of Kenyatta University, July, 2024Due to the rise in demand for Sign Language Interpretation (SLI) for persons with Hearing Impairment (HI), it was paramount to determine the learners’ perception on sign language interpretation effectiveness during television newscasts at Karen Technical Training Institute for the Deaf (KTTID). The research objectives of this study were; to find out if variations of Kenyan sign language vocabularies affect accessibility to television newscasts, to establish the effective mode of sign language in sign language interpretation during newscasts, to find out the visibility of signs in sign language interpretation during newscasts and to find out the views of learners on the skills of sign language interpreters. The study employed a descriptive survey design. The research design was anchored on Robert Karasek’s theory of demand control in sign language interpretation. The study was conducted at Karen Technical Training Institute for the Deaf (KTTID) in Nairobi City County. The study population comprised 491 learners with HI and 52 teachers from KTTID. One hundred and twenty three students and 2 teachers were sampled using a purposive sampling technique. Questionnaires for learners and interviews schedule for the teachers’ head of entertainment at KTTID were used as instruments for data collection. Piloting and consultation were conducted to establish validity and reliability before the instruments were used for the actual data collection. The study applied both qualitative and quantitative research approaches in collecting data. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Qualitative data from both the questionnaires and interviews were analyzed thematically. Major research findings for the study were that variations of Kenyan sign language vocabularies affect adequate access to television newscasts. Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) mode of sign language in interpretation was the most effective mode of accessing television newscasts. The screen size for sign language interpretation was relatively small for the visibility of articulated signs during television newscasts. Based on the research findings, the study recommends that there is a need to harmonize Kenyan sign language to avoid the issue of having variations of some vocabularies while signing. The study further suggests that newscasts should be interpreted in KSL mode of sign language in interpretation to accommodate the large group of people with hearing impairment. The study also recommends that the screen size for sign language interpretation should be increased considerably so that viewers of newscasts can watch the signs expressed clearly without strain.enThesis