Attitude of Government School Teachers Towards Including Children with Disabilities in Mainstream Education: A Case Study of Larkana

Abstract

This study aims to examine attitude of government school teachers towards integration of Children with Disabilities (CWD) in mainstream education. Their perception of the phenomenon, challenges and possible solutions in their views were covered. Qualitative method, particularly case study design, was used for data collection, and its interpretive approach was utilized in order to gain detailed data from the participants. In the case study, a school in Larkana was selected. Utilizing purposive sampling and criterion-based selection, ten teachers from the school were chosen as respondents to obtain data. Out of ten respondents, eight teachers eventually became part of the study, and the data was collected from them. The data collection tools were semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The obtained data was subjected to content analysis during which different themes emerged: the establishment of an inclusive school, the role of teachers in mainstream schools to implement inclusive education in schools, and the role of the Education and Literacy Department in establishing inclusive schools. In case the mainstream school is converted into an inclusive school, the respondents were aware of the challenges that they might face and the role that they will have to play concerning differentiation, individualized type of support, and collaboration. Findings revealed that the respondents considered the school unfit for turning into an inclusive school due to missing men and material resources, overcrowded classrooms that will make it difficult to teach children with disabilities, and lack of support from local educational authorities. They recommended contextually responsive support for teachers along with their specialized training, keeping into account the real classroom environment, to successfully convert a mainstream school into an inclusive school. Reducing teacher student ratio and recruitment of teaching assistants were also recommended.