Effect of Storytelling as an Instructional Strategy on Language Development of Children with Hearing Impairment in Bauchi State

This study investigates the effect of storytelling as an instructional strategy on the language development of children with hearing impairment in special education schools in Bauchi State, North East Nigeria. Language development in children with hearing impairment is a critical area of intervention, as limited access to spoken language input can significantly delay both receptive and expressive language acquisition. Storytelling, adapted for hearing-impaired learners through visual, tactile, and sign language modalities, has emerged in recent literature as a promising and culturally resonant pedagogical tool. Using a quasi-experimental design, the study assigns sixty hearing-impaired pupils in two special education schools to experimental and control conditions. The experimental group receives structured storytelling sessions three times weekly over ten weeks, while the control group follows the standard curriculum. Pre-test and post-test data are collected using the Adapted Language Development Assessment Scale for Hearing-Impaired Children. Analysis employs paired samples t-tests and analysis of covariance. The study also documents teacher experiences with adapting storytelling to multimodal delivery, enriching the qualitative dimension of findings. Findings are expected to demonstrate statistically significant language gains in the experimental group, supporting the integration of culturally grounded narrative approaches into special education curricula. Recommendations include developing a resource guide on storytelling-based instruction for teachers in special schools across North East Nigeria. Keywords: storytelling, hearing impairment, language development, Bauchi State, special education.