Teacher related challenges to effective implementation of inclusive education in public primary schools in Sabatia Sub-county, Vihiga County: Kenya
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Date
2016
Authors
Kerita, Vinaywa
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Inclusive education ensures that all children regardless of their diverse backgrounds are exposed to equal opportunities in education this is because; education is a basic human right and a foundation to a more just society. Despite its importance, inclusive education continues to face challenges that hinder its implementation both globally and locally. This study investigated teacher related challenges in the implementation of inclusive education in public primary schools in Sabatia, Vihiga County, Kenya. The study was guided by the following objectives: To establish the professional preparation of teachers in the implementation of inclusive education in public primary schools; to find out the perception of teachers towards inclusion of learners with disabilities in mainstream classes in public primary schools and to assess the extent of use of teaching/learning resources in the implementation of inclusive education in public primary schools. The study was informed by classical liberal theory. The theory states that “each individual is born with a certain amount of capability. Education systems should therefore be planned in such a way that obstacles of any nature which prevent children with learning disabilities to take advantage of their inborn talents are eliminated.” The study adopted the descriptive survey design to investigate teacher related challenges in the implementation of inclusive education. All the teachers and head teachers from the 103 public primary schools in Sabatia, Vihiga County and all the education assessment and resource centres (EARC) coordinators in the County formed the target population. Both simple and stratified random sampling techniques were used to choose study respondents. A sample of ten head teachers, 93 teachers and one EARC coordinator were used for the study. Data was collected using questionnaires, observation schedule and interview schedule. Piloting was done in two schools which were not included in the main study. Piloting was done to enhance validity and reliability of the instruments. Reliability was at 0.84 for the teachers and 0.82 for the head teachers. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics mainly the mean and standard deviation. This was done through use of the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software while qualitative data was analyzed thematically according to study objectives and questions. Quantitative data was presented in graphs, frequency distribution tables and figures while qualitative data was presented in narratives. According to the study findings, inclusive education has not been successfully implemented in public primary schools in Sabatia, Vihiga County due to the fact that majority of the teachers were not adequately prepared to enable them effectively implement the program. Secondly, majority of the teachers held a negative attitude towards learners with disabilities. Lastly, there was minimal usage of the necessary teaching/learning resources. The researcher recommends training of teachers in inclusive education, enhanced sensitization of teachers on the importance of inclusive education and provision of adequate teaching/learning resources in schools while ensuring their maintenance for successful implementation of inclusive education. The findings of this study are expected to enable education policy makers, curriculum developers and stakeholders to make practical decisions on the implementation of inclusive education in schools. The findings will also form a base for further studies.
Description
A research project submitted to the school of education in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of master of education degree Kenyatta University, May 2018