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The English Language Teachers’ Perception Of Inclusive Education
[A CASE STUDY OF THE UNIVERSAL BASIC EDUCATION IN KWARA STATE]
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Similarly, in a review, Scruggs and Mastropieri (1996) found that in ten studies, only 33% of general education teachers agreed that the general education classroom was the best social or academic placement for students with disabilities, although about two thirds of the participants supported the concept of inclusion. On the other hand, other researchers reported that teachers had more positive attitudes toward inclusion (Avramidis et al., 2000a; Villa, Thousand, Meyers, & Navin, 1996; Ward, Center, & Bochner, 1994; York, Vandercock, MacDonald, Heise-Neff, & Caughey, 1992). In addition, few researchers reported that teachers had uncertain or neutral attitudes (Bennett, Deluca, & Bruns, 1997; Leyser & Tappendorf, 2001). Overall, inclusion is more positive than negative. It teaches society members the concept of fairness and justice. It implies that we are different, but we should celebrate our diversity. As indicated above, previous research has addressed teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion in separate studies in various countries. 1-lowever, there is relatively little research that explores UAE teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion. Additionally, there is a limited number of studies that describe the nature and practices of inclusive education in UAE schools. Thus, the current study focuses mainly on the nature of inclusive education that is adopted in the UAE from the perception of UAE teachers. Teachers’ attitudes may guide decision makers to plan for better inclusive education.
In order for students with disabilities to be successful in regular education classroom settings, a logical assumption would be that the school principal must have a positive attitude towards the concept of inclusive education. As a result of more recent demands for school restructuring, Principals today are being asked to assert bold leadership in order to establish inclusive schools and classrooms in which diversity is viewed as strength (Allan, 1995). Since the principal is recognized as the key player in instituting change in the school, as noted by Allan (1999), the principal is in a unique position to ensure the success of an inclusive program provided it has his or her backing. This philosophy is in line with Dyson, Miliward & Skidmore (1994) who concluded that in order for students with disabilities to be successfully included in school, school personnel must be receptive to new and creative special education initiatives that foster integrated regular education classroom settings. It is, therefore, important that we analyze the attitudes which principals have toward inclusive education particularly in an age when schools are attempting more and more to infuse democratic ideals into their educational programs and to celebrate the diversity of all students. The research of Stainback & Stainback (1992) resulted in consistent findings that teachers who are called upon to implement inclusive education programs feel the need of administrative support in several issues, including those related to time, training, personnel, materials and class size.
1. Time: Teachers require additional time for planning for students with disabilities in their classrooms, particularly if the disability is severe or if they are involved in a collaborative model of instruction such as the in-class support model.
2. Training: Teachers must have the opportunity to avail themselves of intensive training programs, provided both in and outside of the school, on a continual basis in order to hone their skills in working with students with disabilities who may be assigned to them.
3. Personnel: Teachers may need a paraprofessional, the strategy that the principals in this study deemed most effective, to assist them in their classrooms in order to successfully accommodate certain students with disabilities, especially if those disabilities are severe in nature.
4. Materials: Teachers need materials and supplies that are appropriate to their integrated students. Not only does this include the proper curricula, but it may also mean special furniture or augmentative communication devices designed specifically for students with special needs in their classrooms.
5. Class Size: Teachers who have been assigned to instruct students with disabilities should receive special consideration in terms of the overall number of students who make up their classes.
A further implication is that as the movement toward including students with disabilities in general classroom settings becomes more and more a reality, all educators must learn better skills, such as ways to accommodate diverse student populations. Restructuring university courses that prepare future teachers for leadership positions is essential. Courses relating to the needs of special populations served within general classroom environments should be a requirement for teachers’ training. Teachers to be need to learn more effective strategies, especially for servicing students with moderate to severe behavior problems. Teachers must be schooled in coursework that deals specifically with students with disabilities. Perhaps teachers’ attitudes toward this particular sector of the student population will improve once they have acquired additional knowledge and skills.
Along with restructured university programs for future teachers, there is the added need of in-service programs for them who are already in the field. Such training cannot be accomplished in a one-day presentation. Rather, the training must be comprehensive, should begin prior to the establishment of the inclusion program and should be on-going as the needs of the inclusion program dictate. The parents of students with severe disabilities, including those with serious behavioral problems, seeking placement of their children in the least restrictive environments and schools should be systematically plan for this phenomenon. This may mean providing effective in-services for teachers on how to manage students who are in mainstreamed settings and who exhibit serious behavior problems. Since the teachers play such a key role in whether a school’s programs will be successful or not, an emerging inclusion program has a poorer chance of being effective if the teacher is not knowledgeable about the educational and emotional needs of the students with disabilities to be served.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]ABSTRACT IS COMING SOON ... Continue reading---
QUESTIONNAIRE - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]QUESTIONNAIRE ON ATTITUDE OF TEACHERS ON INCLUSIVEEDUCATIONInstructionsThe purpose of this questionnaire is to obtain information relating to what you think about inclusive education of students with disabilities. All information in this questionnaire is provided anonymously and will be treated then analyzed under the framework of this research only. This is not a test. Thus, there is no right or wrong answer. All you have to do is to tick the option as applicable to you.SECTION A: GENERAL INFOR ... Continue reading---
CHAPTER ONE - [ Total Page(s): 3 ]In order for inclusion to work in practice, teachers in regular schools in Nigeria must accept its philosophies and demands. According to Salend and Duhaney (1999), educators have varying attitudes towards inclusion, their responses being shaped by a range of variables such as their success in implementing inclusion, student characteristics, training and levels of support. Some studies reported positive outcomes for general teachers, including increased skills in meeting the needs of all their s ... Continue reading---
CHAPTER THREE - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]CHAPTER THREERESEARCH METHODOLOGY3.0 This chapter presents the research method that would be used to carry out the study which is on the perception of the English language teachers of Inclusive education in the Universal Basic Education in Kwara State. The discussion on the methods will include:a. Research typeb. Population, sample and sampling techniqueC. Instrumentationd. Procedure for data collection ande. Data analysis technique f. Research type3.1 Research TypeThis research would use ... Continue reading---
REFRENCES - [ Total Page(s): 3 ]REFERENCES Ajuwon, P. M. (2008). Inclusive education for students with disabilities in Nigeria: Benefits and challenges and policy implications. International Journal of Special Education, 23(3), 11-16.Ali, M.M., Mustapha, R. and Jelas, Z. M. (2006). An empirical study on teachers’ perceptions towards inclusive education in Malaysia. International Journal of special Education, Vol. 21 (3).Allan, J. (1995) How are we doing? Teacher's views on the effectiveness of co-operative teaching. Sup ... Continue reading---
