Saudi public primary school teachers’ perspectives on inclusive education

Abstract

ABSTRACT The successful implementation of inclusive education depends on many factors, among the most important of which are as teachers’ attitudes about and perspectives on inclusive education. The current study employed a qualitative research design to explore and identify factors that public school teachers identify as obstacles to successful inclusion of students with disabilities in the mainstream classroom. Semi-structured individual interviews allowed respondents to share their personal perspectives in narrative detail. Twenty-four public primary school teachers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia participated. The results indicated that, in concert with their Western colleagues, Saudi teachers identified several factors as especially obstructive of inclusive education, including school readiness, lack of teacher training, and lack of effective partnerships with parents. We situate these results alongside previous research focused on Western teachers’ attitudes about inclusive education, and we identify several areas for future research to advance the policy and practice of inclusive education in Saudi Arabia.