Factors affecting multi-stakeholders perspectives towards inclusive early childhood education (IECE) in Kazakhstan

Abstract

Inclusive education is one of the key educational reforms introduced by the Ministry of Education and Science in Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan, 2011). Although many studies have explored the attitudes of key stakeholders towards inclusive education in various educational settings, research has yet to explore the attitudes of key stakeholders towards inclusive education in early childhood education settings in Kazakhstan. This paper examined the attitudes of key stakeholders toward inclusive early childhood education in Kazakhstan. The sample comprised 986 parents, 963 teachers, and 97 senior managers. The surveys are composed of several sections covering themes ranging from attitudes and beliefs to the quality of educational services and the inclusivity culture of the setting. The teacher and senior manager surveys included an additional section on initial teacher training, continued professional development and assessment. A stepwise regression analysis revealed that a high inclusivity culture of early childhood settings was a potent factor leading to positive attitudes towards inclusion across all key stakeholders. Several teacher-related background variables were associated with teachers’ positive attitudes toward inclusion (e.g., education qualifications, age, previous work experience and class size). This research provided rich insights into key stakeholders’ attitudes and teachers’ and senior managers’ views on pre-and in-service teacher training for early childhood educators. Recommendations are made to inform future policy development to strengthen inclusive early childhood education for all children.