Attitudes of Teachers towards inclusive education in selected pre-school: A case study of Nairobi West District Kenya

Abstract

Attitudes are defined as thoughts, opinions and beliefs an individual holds towards a certain programme. It has been observed that a significant number of teachers in different countries have concerns about inclusive education, which emphasizes that schools should accommodate all children regardless of their physical, intellectual, social and emotional conditions and health challenges. The present case study sought to find out the attitudes of Pre-school teachers towards inclusive education because of the crucial role they (attitudes and teachers) play in the success or failure of any new programme. The data presented here was collected using questionnaires administered to 80 respondents, out of which 69 were received (86.25% return rate).

The data was cleaned and screened using descriptive statistics. Chi-Square analysis was performed using proportions of responses on each item on the questionnaire. Analysis of variance (ANOV A) was used to determine the significant differences between the attitudes of teachers from public/private, low/high cost and those of different age categories in pre-schools in Nairobi West District in Kenya and also to test the null hypotheses. Values representing the teachers' responses from questionnaires and observation schedules were entered into the computer and analyzed using SPSS version 15.0. Three null hypotheses were tested and rejected. Results indicate that there is a significant difference in the attitudes of Pre-school teachers from public, private, low-cost, high cost and those of different age categories.

The attitudes of Pre-school teachers from different age categories varied with whether the teacher had prior experiences with children with exceptionalities and were informed on issues related to inclusive education through a workshop, seminar or training. Observation of the teaching/learning process in Pre-schools practicing inclusive education corroborated findings captured in questionnaires. In conclusion, it was important to determine the attitudes of teachers towards inclusive education in selected Preschools in Nairobi West district because their attitudes, when positive, did promote the success of inclusive education and vice versa.