Child case studies: Leading the way to inclusion

Abstract

This study explored the impact of combining direct instruction with structured field experience, in the form of a child case study, on the beliefs and practices of teacher participants. Seventeen Master of Education candidates, who enrolled in a ‘Special Needs and Inclusion’ course, conducted child case studies in private schools in the United Arab Emirates and reported deeper understanding of various disabilities and more favorable dispositions to the possibility and necessity of inclusion. Most participants identified challenges to authentic inclusion in their schools and society in general, while some became advocates for every child's right to an equitable education.