Inclusive Education: Exploring the Potential of Artificial Intelligence as Teaching Pedagogy for Students with Intellectual Disability in Ilorin Metropolis

Abstract

Abstract: Inclusive education aims to provide equal opportunities for all students, including those with intellectual disabilities. However, students with intellectual disabilities often face challenges in accessing quality education due to limited resources and inadequate teaching pedagogies. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize inclusive education by providing personalized learning experiences for students with intellectual disabilities. The study therefore aimed to examining inclusive education: exploring the potential of artificial intelligence as teaching pedagogy for students with intellectual disability in Ilorin metropolis. One research question and two hypotheses were postulated. Descriptive research design of correlation type was used for the study while the population consisted of all teacher teaching students with intellectual disability with a sample size of 30 teachers selected from two special schools. Two instruments were used to collect data from the participates tagged “Artificial Intelligence Questionnaire (AIQ) and “Literacy Skills Test (LST)”. The face and content validity of the instruments were ascertained by researcher’s readers, experts in the field of Special education. The reliability of the instrument was ascertained through test and retest on the respondents outside the sampled population, afterwards the results were yield 0.79 and 0.80 respectively using Cronbach’s alpha. Data obtained from the respondents were analyzed using frequency count and percentage for the demographical profile, the research question was answered using mean and standard deviation while hypotheses was tested at 0.05 level of significance. Hypothesis one was tested using regression and hypothesis two was tested using independent sample t-test. The findings revealed high extent of artificial intelligence used to enhance teacher confidence and competence in supporting students with intellectual disability in an inclusive classroom in Ilorin metropolis (mean = 3.40), artificial intelligence as teaching pedagogy cannot significantly predict the academic performance of students with intellectual disabilities in an inclusive classroom in Ilorin metropolis (B = 20.63; t(28) = -.164, P = .871), there was significant difference in the use of artificial intelligence as teaching pedagogy on the academic performance of students with intellectual disabilities in an inclusive classroom in Ilorin metropolis based on gender (t(28) =-1.18, P<0.05). It concluded that the use of artificial intelligence to empower teachers for better support of students with intellectual disabilities cannot be overlook in an inclusive education because it helps in terms of automating tasks, providing personalized learning, and offering insights into students’ academic success. Based on the finings it was recommended that the students with intellectual disability should also be included in an inclusive setting it will greatly assist their academic performance, proprietors and school administrators should make school conducive for teacher teaching students with intellectual disability in an inclusive classroom, curriculum planner/ developer should include artificial intelligence in the school curriculum and implementation of artificial intelligence among teacher teaching students with intellectual disabilities should be made priority