Preschool teacher’s awareness, attitudes and challenges towards inclusive early childhood education: A qualitative study

Abstract

Education in early childhood is considered fundamental. Many developing countries reported having a low level of inclusion rate, and this level is even smaller when it comes to children with special needs. Moreover, the philosophy of inclusion and best practices for ensuring the success of inclusive education are not fully understood by preschool teachers. This study aimed at exploring how preschool teachers understand inclusive education in a system that is undergoing transition and faces significant challenges overall. It also tends to describe not only what they know but also how they feel and believe about the process of including children in the quality educational system, same for all. Another issue was also to find out what are the challenges teachers face and how do they see the future of inclusive education in early childhood. Ten experienced preschool teachers from different places of Kosovo were interviewed using semi-structured in-depth interviews. The results indicate that teachers have a common understanding of inclusion, but they lack proper skills and knowledge on adequate teaching methods to work with children with special needs. However, they see inclusion to be an essential process and an excellent opportunity for all children. They recommend investments and collaboration between all the involved partners as a key to overcoming present obstacles.