Inclusive early childhood education practices for ECD learners with intellectual and learning disabilities: The ecological systems theory as a framework for a participatory action research

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to probe whether the inclusive education practices at Early Childhood Development (ECD) adequately prepared learners for primary school. The study was conducted at a private primary school in Harare, Zimbabwe using a participatory action research design. Data were generated from interviews with key informants, participant and non-participant observations, as well as from document analyses. Our results showed that although the private school was open to inclusion and was well resourced for it, challenges emerged which were as a result of inadequate teacher training practices, and the lack of collaboration between the school and the parent ministry. It was also found that learners with severe learning disabilities were not adequately catered for. We concluded that there was a need for more support from government for inclusion to succeed. The teacher training colleges were not offering adequate practical modules to prepare teachers, and the schools could also do more to capacitate teachers for inclusion. The recommendations made should help the government and school administrators to improve the quality of early childhood education for learners with intellectual and learning disabilities.