Perceptions of the Advantages of Inclusive Classrooms - Research Proposal Example

Perceptions of the Advantages of Inclusive Classrooms Abstract Basic education is a human right and for the last 30 years or so, this concept has broadened to encompass all students – even those who have been traditionally segregated because of their special educational needs. This is the basic tenet of inclusive education – the inclusion of all children in mainstream environment – and it has of late garnered international interest. In theory, the educational system in particular and society in general have come far in changing the discriminatory practices prevalent several decades ago; the present school systems’ supposed adherence to inclusive education has been an integral part of that cultural make-over. In reality, this is not always the case. Understandably so, parents have always tried to do that which will provide the best to their children in terms of education and training. However, that has meant that having children educated with minority children, those from different racial and ethnic backgrounds or with children who have a disability has been frowned upon. Unfortunately, those who have been gifted with the best of everything often repulsed at trying to share the burdens of society which has to look after the less fortunate and to help create a fairer society in which tolerance and acceptance of disability is likely to make such a society more worthwhile. Thus, inclusive education has met with resistance from all quarters and just like those parents who felt that their children should not be educated with blacks, many parents and teachers today still have a muted sense of distaste for inclusion. However, it has to be understood that every child that is born in a society is owed something and had to live in the real world. Thus, inclusion is a better approach than segregation and the society will do far better if it were to try to accept the best inclusive practices and to try to embed knowledge into the environment for the continuous progress of all its members. This brief investigative study presents a discussion about inclusion in education. Table of contents Title page ................................................................................................................................1 Abstract ..................................................................................................................................2 Table of contents ....................................................................................................................3 Chapter One .........................................................................................................................5 Introduction ...........................................................................................................................5 Problem statement ..................................................................................................................7 Purpose of the study ..............................................................................................................8 Importance of the study ........................................................................................................9 Research design ........................................................................................................9 Sampling ..................................................................................................................10 Data collection tools and administration .................................................................10 Data analysis ............................................................................................................11 Chapter Two ......................................................................................................................11 Literature review .................................................................................................................11 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................17 Chapter Three ...................................................................................................................17 Introduction ........................................................................................................................17 Responses to the Study ......................................................................................................18 Brief description of Procedures ..........................................................................................18 Description of Methodology ..............................................................................................18 Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations ....................................................................19 Analysis of Data .................................................................................................................19 Chapter Four ........................................................................................................................22 Results ....................................................................................................................................23 Major Findings .......................................................................................................................23 Recommendations ..................................................................................................................24 References ..............................................................................................................................25 Appendix A: Interview ..........................................................................................................27 CHAPTER ONE Introduction Inclusive education has been one of the recent developments in the education sector in our country. Such a development was first seen in Article 23 of the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) which called for children with special educational needs to be allowed the “fullest possible social integration and individual development” (United Nations [UN] 1989). The Salamanca Statement of 1994 fortified the United Nations stand, moving from integration to inclusion, enunciating more explicitly when it called for all national governments to “adopt as a matter of law or policy the principle of inclusive education, enrolling all children in regular schools, unless there are compelling reasons for doing otherwise” (UNESCO 1994, p. ix). Further and more recently, a World Declaration on Education for All (EFA) was adopted in the Dakar Framework for Action in 2002 which sets a target of providing every child with primary education by 2015; inclusive education was specifically identified as a key strategy for achieving that target (Peters, 2004). The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action was endorsed by 92 governments and 25 international organizations during the World Conference on Special Needs Education held in June 1994 in Salamanca, Spain. In effect, the signatories all recognized the uniqueness of each child and that “those with special education needs must have access to regular schools which should accommodate them with a child-centered pedagogy capable of meeting those needs”. The Salamanca Statement further asserts that it is with inclusive education that society may find the “the most effective means of combating discriminatory attitudes, creating welcoming communities, building an inclusive society and achieving education for all; moreover, they provide an effective education to the majority of children and improve the efficiency and ultimately the cost-effectiveness of the entire education system”. The Salamanca Framework for Action (1994) defined the fundamental principle of inclusive school as a venue where all children – despite any difficulties arising from their difference – should come together to learn, whenever possible. Inclusive schools must be equipped and prepared to recognize, respond to, and accommodate the students from across a wide range of learning styles and capacities; this the school must do without compromising the quality of education they offer. Appropriate curricula, teaching strategies, organizational arrangements, and community partnership must be established in order to ensure the maintenance of quality education and that a continuum of support and services is always available to match the continuum of special needs encountered. The progression of the educational system from a segregated to an integrated and then inclusive one may be said to have been driven by a shift in the way society perceives disabilities. Learning disabilities were traditionally considered a handicap – a medical condition. This medical definition of disability underpinned it as a “problem of the individual that is directly caused by a... health condition and requires medical care in the form of treatment and rehabilitation” (Mitra 2006, p. 236). But in the last 50 years, the concept of disability has been gradually transformed in large part due to the emergence of an international movement of people with disabilities (Barnes 1999). This socio-political movement paved the way for a transition from the medical model of looking at disabilities to a social one. Oliver (1983) recognized that there has been an increasing demand made by people with disabilities to have “nothing more fundamental than a switch away from focusing on the physical limitations of particular individuals to the way the physical and social environments impose limitations on certain groups or categories of people” (23). In lieu of the medical model, Oliver instead proposed the “sociological approach” (Oliver 1990) or the social model. The social model shaped the new era of educational systems wherein the orthodox view of excluding children with learning difficulties was challenged. Segregation was contested and gave way to integration – or the placement of an individual in a school where he or she was not previously accepted (Angelides et al, 2004). But the underlying principle of integration with regards to an individual’s learning disability is for the individual to fit the school. Integration then may be seen to have remnants of the medical model of disability because the child’s impairment can still get in the way of his or her functioning in mainstream environment specifically where inadequate or no provisions are made to accommodate their disability. It was the move from integration to inclusion that has ushered in a truly sociological response to education. Sociological response was what paved the way to “curricular approaches” and “school improvement strategies” moulding the educational system to accommodate the needs of those with disabilities for them to become truly included into the mainstream schools (Clough & Corbett 2000, p.8). Curricular approaches emphasize the role of the curriculum in meeting learning difficulties while school improvement strategies emphasize the “importance of systematic organization in pursuit of truly comprehensive schooling” (Clough and Corbett, 2000, 8). In some ways, the barriers that hinder a special child’s learning are somewhat lifted, at least theoretically. The shift in the curriculum and the strategies to improve the school are what makes inclusion fundamentally different from integration. More than merely placing children with special needs in schools as they are, the concern is on the environment where everyone can be educated effectively (Barton 1997). Inclusive education “describes the process by which a school attempts to respond to all pupils as individuals by reconsidering its curricular organization and provision. Through this process, the school builds its capacity to accept all pupils from the local community who wish to attend and, in so doing, reduces the need to exclude pupils” (Sebba & Ainscow 1996, p.9). Simply put, children are seen to participate in the same school, regardless of their abilities and needs (Thomas 1997). Inclusion consists of placing with disabilities or “learning-impaired” students in general education classes (Turnball, Turnball, Shark, & Smith, 2004). Inclusive education therefore calls for the children without disabilities and those children with disabilities to be taught in the same classroom where they will learn under the same environment. Federal education policies, such as the reauthorization of IDEA by the United States of Congress in 1997, stated that students with disabilities must be guaranteed a free appropriate public education in the least restricted environment, and that students have more access to the general education curriculum and reforms (Hittie & Petterson, 2003). Inclusive education has been taken as one of the most important models that can be used to ensure that all the students access education regardless of their disabilities. The concept of inclusive education has not only taken root in our country but it is being embraced by countries in the world as well. Inclusive education seeks to improve the learning and teaching environment of all the learners and their teacher. There are certain benefits to inclusive education but there are also barriers to its implementation. The educational system cannot automatically reverse their traditional practices specifically as there are many who challenge the benefits of inclusive education. It must be remembered that for a long time, children with disabilities have been kept in different learning environment from those who are without. The trend has been the provision of a special school that were supposed to cater to the special needs of the children. But despite the less than enthusiastic response of some educational institutions and some parents to inclusive education, inclusive education remains the goal because it has been found that integrating students with special needs and those who are without helps to maximize their growth and helps them to experience a normal growth atmosphere. Although children with special needs may sometimes require to be given special care, providing them with a normal growth atmosphere also helps them to achieve a common growth. There are a number of theories that are usually used in support of the need to have special education. But the most important theory is the social growth theory which shows that children will learn more from the specialization process. When children with special needs interact more with those who are without disabilities, they are able to learn more from this socialization process and therefore they are likely to follow a normal growth path. It is important that inclusive classrooms carry a quality that provides a natural environment that is unobtrusive as possible, arranging student schedules so that the rhythm of the day for students with disabilities is as typical as possible, and ensuring that students with disabilities are full participants in the learning and social communities of the classroom (McLeskey and Waldron, 2007). Therefore inclusive education is important in helping children with special needs to have a normal growth. One of the most important pillars of the inclusive education is participant by all the stakeholders in the education process. In this case inclusive education is not the affairs of the teachers and their students alone but as per term it should be more inclusive in nature. Parents and the community need to be well included in the learning process. Leadership in schools can make a difference in the success of inclusion efforts and parents of children with disabilities have been known to try to select the best school for their wards. Parental involvement is said to be necessary for successful inclusion in schools (Kovacs, Pp. 57). Therefore the benefits of the inclusive education are supposed to be spread between all the participants in the process and not only on the student alone. Because inclusive education is one of the most important tools of promoting literacy in the community, it seeks to take children with disabilities from their exclusion and bring them to the mainstream of the learning process. Modifications and scaffolding for children with disabilities are likely to be required in mainstream inclusive schools and teachers have made comments about trying to match personal characteristics of individual students with the inclusion program (Weiner, Chapter5). It seeks to increase their chances of unleashing their potential when they are exposed to the normal learning process. An inclusive classroom is designed in a way that the needs of each and every student is attended to while at the same time it helps to uphold the principle of integration and participation. It is the main driving force behind the implementation of inclusive education. There have been a lot of debates on the viability of inclusive classroom. Although several pilot students carried out in different parts of the world rerecorded success of inclusive classrooms, there have been issues coming from the implementation of the system that question who are the main beneficiaries of the inclusive classroom. Therefore this study will research on the issue of inclusive classroom to find out who are the main beneficiaries of inclusive education. Problem statement Inclusive education has been implemented in all the sectors of our education system. All students regardless of their disability have been interested in the same classroom where they undergo through the same curriculum instruction. However there have been issues regarding the benefit of inclusive education to both teacher and the children and to the larger body of education stakeholders like parents and the community. This has brought about so many arguments with some proponent of the concept arguing that all children and the whole community benefit alike. On the other hand critics of the concept argue that the students without disabilities get distracted in their education process since teachers spend most of their time on those students with special needs. Another argument of inclusion is that financial resources are not available for inclusion to be effective (Fox & Ysseldyke, 1997). There have also been arguments that teachers are usually overburden since they have to do extra work of meeting the need of the student with special needs. A third concern is that general education teachers do not possess the requisite training or qualifications to teach disabled students effectively (Schumm and Vaugh, 1995). Some of the risks and requirements associated with inclusion that have been mentioned in literature include the following (Krovacs, Chapter 5) and (Carter, Pp. 178-180): Teachers must be trained to better manage those with special needs in a general classroom. A risk exists that students with disability may disrupt a classroom. Students with disability may require more teacher attention and time. Teasing of disabled students by others may become difficult to control. Inclusion can result in either the students with disability falling behind academically of the normal students being held back. This has complicated the inclusive process since it is not yet known who are the main beneficiaries and the loser of the inclusive education process. Therefore there is need to carry out system study that will help us to understand who really benefits from inclusive classroom and therefore make some recommendations on what can be done in order to spread this benefit across all the participants or any other recommendation. Purpose of the study The purpose of this study will be to assess the system of the inclusive classroom to collect data that can help the research to understand who the beneficiaries of special education are. The study is to collect data on the inclusive classroom in order to draw a conclusion and thereby give recommendation on what can be done to initiate the benefits of special education to all participants in the inclusive education process. Importance of the study This study is important since it will provide data that can be analyzed to understand the implementation of inclusive classroom. This will help to draw on a conclusion on how different participants in the classroom usually benefit from the concept of inclusiveness in the classroom. Research questions The research will use the following question to guide the study: Which constrains are faced by teachers in the delivery of the curriculum as far as integrating the individual needs of each student is concerned? Which constrains is faced by students in trying to accommodate each other in the learning process? How do parents perceive inclusive classroom? What are their expectations in inclusive classroom? Which are the expectations of the general community of inclusive classroom and how do perceive it? What are the expectations of normal students in inclusion? What are the expectations of learning disabled students in inclusion? Research design In order collect a wider range of data that will be accurate and valid, the research will use the interview investigative research design. Interview research design will be the most suited to carry out this study since it is a social research which will be collected data from different people. Through the research design, the researcher will be able to collect a wide range of data for the study. Like in other social researches, interview research design will help the researcher to collect data from different samples in the population. This is very important as it helps to eliminate bias in the study. Sampling and sample size The study will collect a small sample in order to collect a wider varied data in the research framework for the study will be the teachers and parents that are involved in inclusive education. But the sampling produce will give an emphasis to the teacher and student since they are the ones who are mostly involved in the inclusive classroom. Therefore they will be assigned the main majority of the sample in the sampling procedure. The researcher selected five adults in this investigative study on inclusive classrooms. Three of the adults are parents, while the other two are teachers from the elementary school, Eaton Elementary. These adults were chosen at random from two first grade classrooms. One of the two classes is an inclusive classroom. Data collection tool and administration The study will use interviews in order to collect the needed data. Interview method will be best suited to collect data for the study since it will give the research a firsthand experience on what is taking place in the classroom. Due to the small sample that is involved in the study, interview will be the best methods that will be used for the study. Therefore the research has decided to use interview method to collection the data. The researcher will develop an interview guide that will be used to guide the data collection process. For the data collection procedure the research will start by drafting the interview guide that will be used in the study. This will be pretested to ensure its validity and reliability. It will then be adjusted accordingly in order to help the study achieve the needed results. After obtaining ethical approval, the research will then select their participants and proceed to conduct interviews with the participants after seeking their informed consent. Also, with the participants’ permission, the interviews will be recorded and subsequently transcribed. Data analysis The research will use simple data analysis tools in order to analyse data for the study this will use the simple techniques of means, percentages, and others to analyse the data. The collected data will then be compared to the data that will be collected through the secondary sources in order to draw a conclusion. CHAPTER TWO Literature review Progressive nations are at the forefront of maintaining and protecting their citizens’ civil rights. In the United States, the people’s civil rights are embedded into national laws. Even children have rights and their rights are advocated as well by international organizations such as the United Nations. The rights of a child encompass all children regardless of character, abilities, race or background; especially vulnerable are children with disabilities and it is for them that such rights are more so underscored with special laws and policies that have been in place for the past 30 years. These special policies promote the full participation and integration of children with special educational needs into society beginning with the educational settings as this is where they are most particularly immersed. The United States has a specific federally-based civil rights legislation (i.e., the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA]) that legally entitles children with disabilities to free appropriate public education that allows them to meet their education requirements in the least restrictive environment (Pivik et al, 2002; Hittie & Petterson, 2003). This legislation mandates that all children with disabilities should be educated in the class and school building which, if their circumstances were normal and that they did not have any disabilities, they would be attending provided that the child’s needs do not dictate otherwise (U.S. Public Law 94-142). According to Community Gateway (2008) children with special needs are not different from other normal students and therefore they should be treated in the same way. The No Child Left Behind Act was enacted to “ensure that all children have a fair, equal and significant opportunity to obtain high-quality education” (Savich, 2008). Children with special needs when put in seclusion continue to follow their own line of development and this widens the gap between them and normal children. In order to build a cohesive society, it has been found that children with special needs should be interacted with other normal children in order to divert their own path of growth to be in line with that of normal children. In order to streamline their growth within the community, children with special needs should be integrated with the rest of the society and avoid keeping them in seclusion. When they are put in the mainstream operation of the society, these children afford a high sense of belonging to the community and they are able to adapt to the life of the family and the society. In order to maximize their growth we have to help them to grow with us in order to provide them with a diverse and stimulating environment in which they can grow and learn. This helps them to acquire a sense of belonging to the community and also develop friendship with the community members (Doyle, 2000). Inclusive education is one of the most important tools that have been developed in order to integrate these children with special needs to the mainstream of the society. By giving them a chance to grow with others in the education sector, they are provided with an opportunity to experience the diversity in the society although this is on a small scale in the classroom. This is not only beneficial to those children with special needs but it also other children as they are able to experience the diversity of the society as far as those children with special needs are concerned. This helps even the children without disabilities to accept that those children with special needs are also a part of the society (Conrad and Whitaker, 1997). The concept of the inclusive classroom requires full integration of all students in the same learning environment regardless of their disabilities. Normal children and those with disabilities undergo the same education process and grow under the same environment. Therefore inclusive education is one of the models that can be used to assist all the children to access education regardless of their disabilities. This ensures that there is equality in the society and all children grow up as a part of the society. The earlier models of learning have been emphasizing on a different learning environment for children with disability and those children without. The trend has been the provision of a special school that were supposed to cater for those children with special needs. However it has been found that integrating students with special needs and those who are without helps to maximize their growth and helps them to experience a normal growth atmosphere. Although children with special needs may sometimes require to be given special care, providing them with a normal growth atmosphere helps them to achieve normal growth like the non-special need children since they learn a lot from others. There are many theories that support the process of inclusion in education. Social theories postulate that children will learn more from others when they interact with them in the learning process. Learning plays help in the socialization of children. When children with special needs interact more with those who are not, they learn from the children without special needs unlike when they are separated from them. Therefore inclusive education is important in helping children with special needs to have a normal growth. UNESCO (1994) notes that the merits of a child-centred pedagogy that inclusive schools is hoping to establish “is not that they are capable of providing quality education to all children; their establishment is a crucial step in helping to change discriminatory attitudes, in creating welcoming communities and in developing an inclusive society” (6). In schools where a child with special educational needs can be educated without being discriminated against and hindered because of his or her special needs will start the process of other regular children of accepting it as the normal system. Inclusive education is a social and political responsibility. Inclusive education requires that modifications be made not just with the curriculum but also with the physical aspects of schools. This provision or modification is the first major step towards successful inclusion and is necessary to cultivate in all children an acceptance of all their classmates, as they are (Ainscow, Booth & Dyson 1998). Booth and Ainscow (1998) claim that this is one of the greatest challenges in implementing inclusive education – that is, creating a system and environment that truly means education for all regardless of disabilities. In one study, Law (1993) conducted a survey among parents of 22 children with disabilities in order to gauge the socio-cultural, institutional, and physical factors they associate with the environment wherein their children are developing. They noted that by and large, there are physical barriers that hinder the full inclusion of their children in mainstream school as well as community. Such physical barriers include steep ramps, uncut curbs, heavy doors, and one-inch door thresholds. These structural barriers are inconsiderate of the plight of some of the most vulnerable members of society and these have been the result of lack of knowledge and bureaucratic inflexibility towards resource allocation. Russell (2007) pointed out that the specialised assistance that such children may need is not just available on the scale that's needed. According to the study conducted by Law (1993), parents are concurrent in proposing that individuals with disabilities must also be involved in planning the development of public facilities as they know best what they need. Modification are not only restricted to schools in order to increase their capacity to educate all children; educators must undergo the similar necessary changes. Teachers are an integral part of the process of helping children with special educational need and their role is crucial for the child to become included (Mauroeides 2000). Children with disabilities and their parents have been known to express their concern regarding the level of training and experience the teachers have in handling children with special educational needs specifically on how they are to adapt the curriculum to meet varying learning styles and capacities (Hanson et al, 2001). Personnel involved in the education of a child with special needs should also understand the physical limitations and specific attentions that the child’s disability or difference requires (Hemmingsson and Borell, 2000; Pivik et al, 2001) [2]. Many teachers, however, feel ill-equipped to deal with children with special educational needs in their classrooms (Rose et al 2009). Apparently, teachers have not been fully trained or are not trained enough for the necessary modifications in their teachings to be in place. This is not to say that the personnel are unwilling to respond to calls for assistance, because they are; they just feel they do not understand the mental health issues enough and that they are inadequately prepared to deal with such issues, which is further aggravated by the lack of resources to address the needs of the students requiring special help (Rose et al. 2009). Moreover, it was found out that “few staff in the residential special schools had received training specifically related to the identification or management of students’ mental health needs” (Rose et al. 2009, p. 7). More than all other resources, teachers are most instrumental in providing all students with the same quality of education while putting the policies of inclusion into practice. Specifically, teachers and educators must be able to respond to the individual as well as the generic needs of all the students in their class. They must be able to adjust in terms of differentiating the contents of lessons, keeping pace with the interests and level of learning of the students under their care, and in responding to the activities in the classroom by way of the structures and their methods of teaching (Lewis 1992). Children with special needs require special attention and maybe a certain delicacy in handling. It is also the teachers’ responsibility to maintain that careful balance in their class; it requires of them a different skill apart from just instructing students. As the educators, they are propelled into the very front of implementing a full inclusion within their classes. That makes their additional training a priority; their understanding and skills at guiding such a different mix of students need further development for them to successfully manage both regular students and students with special educational needs. More than these institutional and structural barriers, parents have often claimed that attitudinal and social barriers are the biggest difficulties that their children must hurdle (Pivik et al 2002). These difficulties include “inappropriate comments, lack of knowledge, or rude behaviour by both adults and children” (Pivik et al, 2002, 99). This is at the heart of what inclusive education is trying to address – that others will accept the integration and inclusion of children with disability in all aspects of society. The concept is very robust in theory but in reality, children with disabilities are still being subjected to such experiences as negative comments, teasing, being stared at, bullying, and isolation which, according to them, are so far the most deleterious of their school experiences (Pivik et al, 2001). In developing inclusive education policies, lack of awareness and understanding must also be dealt with and negative attitudes must be addressed. The study conducted by Pivik et al (2002) also pointed out that in the first place, there has been prevalent lack of comprehensive inclusive policies and procedures as observed by parents of children with disabilities. The attitude of schools wherein the best and brightest have all the encouragement while the ones with learning difficulties are foist off to specialist and mental health professionals is prevalent not just in how the system operates but in how other students are reacting towards their peers with special needs. Roll (1998) notes that the children with disabilities and other learning limitations remain largely marginalized, even in a setting they share with other children and where they do the same activities. For one, identifying these children with “special educational needs” in a mainstream environment is already one step to branding them, making them vulnerable to discrimination as it is (Mitller 2000). Ainscow claims that the very concept of “special educational needs” in itself obstructs the notion of inclusion (quoted in Clough and Corbett 2000). This branding or labelling makes it difficult for children with disabilities to fit in and difficult for their peers to accept them as equals. Special children become all the more exposed to bullying because of this prejudice. This rejection is not lost on those affected children and it significantly impacts upon their emotions (Zoniou-Sideri 1998). The school environment is definitely a very important influencing factor in the quality of social experiences of children. Inclusive school environments, in order for them to be truly beneficial to all students regardless of their difference, limitations or disabilities, must ensure that the structural barriers are absent in order to facilitate physical accessibility; that there should be opportunities for optimal learning; that the children’s social experiences are not restrictive or discriminatory, and that a nurturing climate is well provided for. In the absence of these, students especially those who are already vulnerable because of their disabilities are made more so because they will be denied full participation and an equitable educational experience (Pivik et al, 2002). It is thus only with the establishment of these provisions that inclusive education can be perceived as advantageous to those who it intends to benefit. One of the most important pillars of the inclusive education is participation by all the stakeholders who have an interest in the growth of the child. This means the concept of inclusiveness takes in consideration those different roles that are played by children, teachers, parents and the whole community. Inclusive education should not be taken as affairs of the teachers and their students alone but a process in which parents and the whole community needs to participate. Parents and the community need to be well included in the learning process. Therefore inclusive education is likely to benefit all the stakeholders but not teacher and children alone since all of them have a role to play. Once children are integrated, there is an aspect of reduction of the gap that they develop when they grow up. Many studies have shown that the stigma that is faced by persons with disability has a long root in the seclusion that they face since the time they are still young. They grow in their own world as we also grow in our own world. At the end of the day we tend to look at those with disabilities as outsiders since we don’t see them more often. Therefore inclusive education plays a crucial role of helping to integrate these children to the mainstream of the society so that we can accept them more. It will help to reduce the gap that we tend to develop as we grow. When they integrate children who are able to understand each other and understand the part that each can contribute in the learning process. Through class discussion, children learn the contributions that they can make in the society and therefore they understand their values in the society. Therefore the inclusive classroom serves as the bases of introducing these children to the diversity in the society. The inclusive classroom helps to play important role in integrating all children to the society by acting as a model society in which we can all integrate (Booth, 2003). Unlike in the earlier models of inclusive education that focus on taking even the children who have extreme special needs in the same class with others, there includes a classroom that has taken a new approach which is more ideal and a better practice of the inclusive education. In this case general education teachers are also given the mandate of acting as the main teacher in the inclusive classroom but with the support of the special education teacher. This is supposed to make the model for delivery of a flexible curriculum more adaptable in the inclusive classroom. Like the student, teachers are also likely to draw a lot of benefits from the practice of inclusive classroom. According to Booth (2003) inclusive classroom helps teachers to understand the diversity in the human community. The teacher is likely to underhand the needs of the community well and identify more with the needs of the community. The teacher will recognize the weakness and the needs of different students which help them to gain more skills in delivery of their curriculum. Delivery of curriculum in a way that students understand is the most important function of the teacher. When the teacher is given the duty of delivering their curriculum in an inclusive classroom, they will be faced by the challenge of meeting the individual needs of every student. In this case, they will be forced to suit their model of curriculum delivery to that which meets the needs of each and every student. This gives them more skills in dealing with the students and delivering the curriculum well. Teachers understand how they can deliver their curriculum in order to enhance the team working skills of the students. This is important in helping the students to foster the spirit of team work which is the base for building a cohesive community that works for the needs of each other. This also helps the teacher to develop various ways which can be applied to help the students develop collaborative problem solving skills (Chandler, 2004). Having experienced the difficulty of dealing with such diversity in the classroom, the teacher acquires different ways that can be used to perceive challenges that form the multidisciplinary team. This helps the teacher to develop more accountability skill. The variety in the classroom makes the work of the teacher more challenging and therefore this helps to combat the monotony that leads to boredom as a result of performing repetitive task (Woolery and Wilbers, 2004). The society is likely to benefit from the concept as well. In this case the normal and the disabled children all belong to the same society. Therefore the society will benefit from any program that will be aimed at increasing the level of literacy in the classroom. Inclusive classrooms help to create society that helps to promote the civil right and the freedom of the individual members of the society. In this case, the society will develop social values and equality (Donna and Bronoson, 1999). One of the most important social functions that are played by the society is socialization. Through socialization, the society introduces the new member of the society to the norms that govern the society so that they can as well be assimilated as members of the larger society. By acting as the basic social unit that can be exemplified as a small society for students, the inclusive classroom plays an important role of introducing students to the operation of the society. In the inclusive classroom, students are given a chance to experience how the rules and norms operate in the society and how to respect individual rights in the society. This is important as it helps the students acknowledge how to live with one another in the society. The inclusive classrooms will also teach student how to socialize and collaborate with one another in the classroom. In this case they are likely to become more oriented to the basic operations of the society. What they practice in the classroom through the group work is important as it will help these children to become good members of the society when they grow up. By learning to live in peace with one other, students are prepared for the life they are going to face in their later life (Scheyer, 1996). Though taking different leadership roles in the society, these children are given the miniature model that will dictate the terms for upholding of democracy in the future. In this case, students are helped to grow their leadership skills in order to become good leaders in the future. The modern society is upholding democracy skill. According to Britt (2003) the process of democracy is difficult to achieve and it takes time to grow democracy. Therefore it helps these children to grow with democratic protocols once they are introduced to these values earlier in their life. They are likely to become good members of the society in their latter life as they will grow having internalised the principles of democracy. The parents are also major player in the education sector. They have the overall goal of seeing that their children acquire good education and become useful individuals in their later life. Parents are likely to benefit from the inclusive classroom in various ways. First, they will have their children grow up in an inclusive atmosphere which makes their work of integrating and socializing children easy. Children are likely to learn more in inclusive classroom and therefore the parent will not have a lot of duties to play in bringing up their children. Second, parents are also active to participate in the education system of their children and therefore they are likely to benefit more since they will be included in the education system of their children. CHAPTER THREE Introduction This investigative study was conducted to determine parents and teachers perceptions of the advantages of inclusive classrooms. The conception of inclusive classrooms was reviewed to determine if there were advantages to having inclusive classrooms. This research revealed both positive and negative sides concerning inclusion. The study reviewed the perceptions parents and teachers have about inclusive classrooms. In order to determine the cause-effect relationship between inclusion’s advantages and disadvantages, this investigation relied on an interview. How parents perceive inclusive classrooms, constraints students face in trying to accommodate each other. Furthermore, to understand the expectations of normal and disabled students, parents and teachers were asked questions and given the opportunity to give their own comments. The results to this study may lead to an increase in the use of inclusive classrooms at elementary and/or high schools. Responses of the Study There were five adults involved in this investigative study on inclusive classrooms. Three of these adults were parents, while the other two are teachers from the elementary school. These adults were chosen at random from two first grade classes. One of the two classes is an inclusive classroom. Brief Description of Procedures The researcher wanted to determine and verify parent and teachers perceptions of the advantages of inclusive classrooms. The researcher chose an elementary school in Loudon County, Tennessee in which to conduct the research. The majority of parents and teachers from the school had participated or shared their understanding of inclusive classrooms. They were familiar with the procedures and guidelines. The researcher is informed and trained in inclusive classrooms. The parents and teachers were informed and reminded of the term inclusion and its meaning. They were spoken to by the researcher one-on-one to clarify any misunderstandings before they proceeded with the research. They were allowed several days to think about the information given to them before continuing on with the research. Brief Description of Methodology Five adults, a combination of teachers and parents were selected at random from two fist grade classrooms. After the parents and teachers were chosen, the term and procedures for inclusive classrooms were explained to those who were unfamiliar with the process. This includes the need to integrate all students in the same learning environment regardless of their disabilities, placing learning impaired students in general education classrooms and integrating their learning experience with students in the general education classes. After the researcher informed the subjects about the purpose of inclusion the subjects were able to begin the interview process. The researcher asked opinionated questions to both parents and teachers concerning inclusion. The researcher is involved as a facilitator and keeps the conversation on track. To assess the parents and teachers at the start of the study, the researcher conducted an oral test to see with the subjects to determine their beginning knowledge. The individuals participated in one interview consisting of seven questions to gauge their understanding and expectations concerning inclusion. This process was repeated until all interviews of the study were complete. The results were compared to determine what parents and teachers perceptions of the advantages of inclusive classrooms are. Assumptions, Limitations, Delimitations The study was conducted at Eaton Elementary. Eaton Elementary is in an area that has seen massive changes and growth. The school, once a rural school, is now suburban. The school has had very high state test scores and placed in the top 2% of the state. Because the school is now suburban there is not a large variety of demographics. The results will let researchers know if there is a great advantage for all students in having an inclusive classroom. Another limit to the study is the sample size. Case studies in nature are small; including only one or a few participants. However, results could show that more research is needed to make any defanant assumptions. Despite the limitation, the data should show what the researcher hoped it would. The data should enable the researcher to come up with a conclusive decision on who benefits from inclusive classrooms whether more research is needed for a larger study. Analysis of the Data There was one major part to this investigative study on the effects and benefits of inclusive classrooms. The major part reveals the parent and teacher perceptions of the advantages to inclusive classrooms. An interview was conducted to gather information and to determine all five adult’s perceptions about inclusion. The interview consisted of seven questions that can be seen in Appendix A. Based on the responses from the parents and teachers, their conception of inclusion can be seen. Perception of Inclusive Classrooms The main importance of this investigative study was to determine parent and teacher perceptions of the advantages of inclusive classrooms. There were seven questions that concentrated on parent and teacher conceptions towards inclusion (Appendix A). The first question that both teachers and parents were asked was, “How do you perceive inclusive classrooms?” The responses from the teachers were expected. They knew the concept well having taught inclusion before and being familiar with NCLB. The parent’s attitude towards inclusion was somewhat different. They were not as familiar with the integrated classrooms regardless of their disabilities. The parent’s perception of inclusion is a classroom full of retained and misbehaving students. The second question in the seven question interview was whether every child benefits in inclusive classrooms. The response from this question was a difficult one. Both parents and teachers spoke of advantages and disadvantages of students taught in inclusion. The advantages out-weighed the negative. The research shows that both parents and teachers feel that normal children who are in contact with learning disabled children can help make a difference. Children without disabilities can model positive learning habits and behaviours. It is likely that a normal child will be more likely to accept children with disabilities than to reject them. Inclusion also provides an opportunity for all children to adjust to what real life is likely to offer. The disadvantages were common in everyone’s response. Research showed that many of the parents fear that learning disabled students will be neglected and teased. Another concern that was mentioned amongst teachers and parents was whether or not normal students would receive the same amount of attention as the learning disabled. Although the concept of inclusion by itself has received much support, it is the financial and emotional cost for teachers who have to try very hard to do more to encourage the special child in a normal classroom that appears to be the problem. The third question asked in the interview refers these constrains faced by teachers in the delivery of curriculum as far as integrating needs to each student. The teacher’s response to this question shows feelings of frustration. The research showed that teachers find it difficult at times to make modifications and scaffolding for children with disabilities. This is a large concern because under the terms of legislative instruments related to education, such as the NCLB Act of 2001, schools are responsible for measuring the academic performance of pupils with disability and ensuring that they meet ambitious targets if a school is not to be offered a reduced level of public funding (Koenig, “Executive Summary”). Another shared concern was the lack of leadership and parental involvement. Parental involvement is said to be necessary for successful inclusion in schools. The fourth question addressed in the interview was whether students face difficulties in inclusive classrooms. The research showed opinions of concerns with sharing attention amongst all students. Both parents and teachers believe that inclusive classrooms can make it difficult meeting every student’s needs when one student requires more attention. Another risk the research showed is that students with disabilities may disrupt a classroom. This hinders the learning of others and can cause them to fall behind. The remaining questions, five and six address the expectations of both normal students and learning disabled students. The research shared high hopes of a real-life learning experiences for both. Surprisingly, the researched shared their wishes that both groups of students may grow as individuals by helping others and modelling good habits. Some responses to this questions implied that disabled learners can be motivated by the success of their peers as could the normal students. CHAPTER FOUR Results The purpose of this study was to determine parent and teachers perceptions of advantages of inclusive classrooms. Making sure that educators meet the needs of every child disabled or not is the most significant gift teachers can offer to their students. It is impossible for anyone to somehow magically remove the disability that has been presented to a child, but it is only fair that efforts be made to try to equip a child with skills to survive in the real world and also to try to make a society far more tolerant and understanding of its needs. Inclusion is the only way available that can be useful, even though it is full of risks and objections. Thus, it must be said that inclusion is a positive movement, but it important to carefully study how inclusion is implemented in practice and to try to do what is best and fair for all the children. Teachers and parents must be able to open and understanding to this concept of teaching. The researcher wanted to determine if inclusion would have a positive impact from both parents and teachers. Major Findings After reviewing the data from the interviews, it is clear that a number of issues about inclusion need to be carefully considered before deciding if inclusion can be considered a positive movement, even though a substantial body of opinion does exist to indicate that inclusion has received a favourable response. This leads to a conclusion that teachers and parents both hold a variety of perceptions about inclusion. The responses from both teachers and parents imply that students in inclusive classrooms cope more easily with real life. At the same time, those who are more normal can live better in a more inclusive society. Perhaps the resistance to inclusion is all a part of various perceptions having to come to terms with the change in attitudes and thinking that has to go with inclusion. The research also shares how important that efforts that are made for implementing an inclusive education system are constantly re-examined. A school needs to be a place where individuals are assisted with learning and that the real education does not take place as a result of attending a school because a teacher presented a lecture in a certain way. Real learning and education also resides in the home it is not just teachers who are responsible for educating children, but also their parents and they themselves who have to assume responsibility. Finally in reviewing the responses it is noted that many of the subjects had the same opinions. In their responses, the majority of them shared the same feelings and perceptions about inclusion. They stated their concerns and advantages pertaining to inclusive classrooms. Both parents and teachers gained more knowledge and insight to their own feelings after completing the interview. The fact that they understand what inclusion in education is and that it has more advantages than disadvantages confirms the hypothesis that students benefit in inclusive classrooms. The whole purpose to inclusive education has been to abolish a discriminatory educational system and to give every individual, whether with disabilities or without, equal opportunities which they are entitled to in consideration of their equal rights. In the case of children with special educational needs, it does require support over and above what has been afforded others who do well without. Furthermore, such support is not meant to make children with learning difficulties stand out but for them instead to blend in. This is why inclusion is more underscored than mere integration. More than being a political issue, even a social or economic one, inclusion is an emotional concern. Educators and parents alike have an obligation, especially to these children who have few choices left to them – the worst needing the most help because they have the most limited options. Looking at the special needs of these children should be looking beyond the disruptiveness they cause in a well-ordered system or the disruptiveness they cause in class. Truth be told, many members of society may be reluctant to consider the effort worthwhile for, as society has always seen it, a lot of these children will not be of much help to the economy later on. But the community benefits more socially from integration than what can be measured economically and this is why despite the inherent difficulties, inclusive education is being promulgated. It must be reiterated that inclusive education is about providing a venue where the children’s rights to equality are not only promoted but exercised as well. It is not just about a school where all the structural impediments have been removed but more importantly about being within a community where other, more normal children are fully accepting and comprehending of the conditions of their less fortunate peers. Inclusive education is all about having a choice. The broader array of options afforded to children especially those with disabilities should provide them with the opportunity for deciding on what will ultimately be best for them. Some will opt for inclusive education that they may develop as one with the mainstream society while others would opt for special attention that is necessitated by the gravity of their conditions. But such a choice is theirs or their parents to make; educators on the other hand should be fully-equipped to respond to such choices. The theory and intent behind inclusive education is laudable; there is even general optimism for it, being more than a welcome change from the orthodox way schools were segregated. Children should have equal rights to education and inclusive education seems the likely answer towards that goal of equality for all. Children may find it hard to fit in at first but denying them mainstream education at a young age will make them more ill-prepared to face the mainstream in adulthood. Inclusion is hoped to foster a more cohesive community wherein obsolete dichotomous ideas are abolished. And a more homogenous community is definitely what society ultimately desires; homogeneity precludes a more trusting community, a nation where everyone can find his or her own function. People with special needs – indeed, with disabilities – should not be excluded from making that contribution. Education is the first step towards that; education is the setting wherein they learn to interact with their peers. Their special needs should not be a hindrance to that interaction nor make them feel like a race apart and discriminated against. There have been problems with implementing an inclusive educational system but the system as it is now is far from being perfect. The goals, though, remain clear and unswerving. The issue is no longer about whether or not inclusion is the right practice, but how it can be done effectively. The problem is not the system but the maladministration of the system. The educational system right now, regarding inclusive education, is at an evolving stage. There have been some good practices to build on as well as failures to learn from. But inclusion can work. And only in making inclusion successful will the condition of true equity be met, the condition which will realize quality education for all as envisioned and desired. Recommendations Although this study was simply an investigative study, it did not contain a large enough sample size to run logical statistics. Thus, to further research the parent and teacher perceptions of the advantages of inclusive classrooms, a larger sample should be utilized. Further, an extrapolation will need to be utilized to determine if school leaders played a role in the success and perceptions of inclusive classrooms. This study involved two elementary teachers and three elementary parents. Results of this study have many critics as well as supporters it’s important that inclusion policies be properly resourced. References Ainscow, M., Booth, T., and Dyson, A. (1998). Inclusion and exclusion in schools: listening to some hidden voices’, in: K Ballard (Ed.) Inclusive education: international voices on disability and justice, Falmer Press, London. Angelides, P., Charalambous, C., and Vrasidas, C. (2004). 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Appendix A Interview Questions The concept of the inclusive classroom calls for the need to integrate all students in the same learning environment regardless of their disabilities. Inclusion consists of placing learning impaired students in general education classrooms and integrating their learning experience with students in the general education classes. 1. How do you perceive inclusive classroom? 2. Do you feel that every student benefits in inclusive classrooms? Why or why not? 3. Which constrains is faced by teachers in the delivery of the curriculum as far as integrating the individual needs to each student? 4. Which constrains is faced by students in trying to accommodate each other in the learning process? 5. What are your expectations of normal students in your classroom? 6. What are your expectations of disabled students? Read More