Inclusion in Kindergarten Level in the UAE - Research Proposal Example

Research Project Proposal: Inclusion in Kindergarten Level in the UAE Name Institution Abstract Most studies on inclusion in the UAE have concentrated on primary schools and higher-educational institutions. There is limited research on the kindergarten level. This study aims to add to inclusion literature by focusing on the kindergarten level in the UAE. The main objective of the study is to explore and describe the subjective experience of kindergarten teachers as they implement inclusive education in their schools. Reviewed literature confirms the strategies and implementation issues for the inclusion reform, but limited studies focus on kindergarten schools in the UAE. The project will add to inclusion literature by focusing on inclusion at the kindergarten level. Consequently, the project will answer three research questions: What strategies can kindergarten teachers adopt to make inclusion more effective in the UAE? What types of disabilities are included in kindergarten and types of support services? What factors would hinder school teachers from implementing inclusion effectively in the kindergarten level in the UAE? The project will use phenomenological qualitative design to collect subjective experiences of kindergarten teachers using telephone interview and focus group methods. The responses will be collected using an audio recorder, transcribed and analyzed qualitatively using factor and thematic analysis. Keywords: inclusion, special needs, kindergarten teachers, disabilities Introduction The education sector in the UAE has undergone a number of reforms due to socio-economic development and success in oil exploration. Anati and Ain (2012) argue that these reforms were articulated in the Ministry of Education’s plan to improve the education level of the citizens by 2020. Educationalists, scholars and professionals have been instrumental in driving these education reforms (Usman, 2011).The reforms have been mainly driven by the need to improve the effectiveness of teaching practices, to adopt useful teaching methodologies, to apply effective evaluation strategies and to shift from the rote-learning approach to the learner-centered approach. A key reform in UAE’s education sector has been the consideration of the education needs of children with disabilities. This consideration arose from the country’s recognition of the need to strengthen education for special-needs children. The UAE ratified various laws such as the Disability Act and the Federal Law number 29 to provide protections for children with special needs (Abu Dhabi Education Council [ADEC], 2012; Ministry of Education, 2015). Through these laws, the Ministry was able to set up a department for the special needs children. The department has also overseen the development of rehabilitation and vocational centers, incorporated special education in mainstream curriculum and classrooms, and supported the involvement of disabled children in the Special Olympics (Ministry of Education, 2015). These efforts are part of the department’s implementation of the inclusion philosophy. This philosophy is a new concept in the Arab nations, having being established effectively in developed countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States (Weber, 2012). The adoption of this philosophy in the Arab region has been a challenging process owing to the diverse educational, cultural and historical factors influencing education practice. Weber (2012) confirms that the Gulf Cooperation Council has not adopted any singular strategy on inclusion in the education sector. Nevertheless, the government remains committed to providing and supporting inclusion in mainstream classrooms in the UAE. Presently, the children with special needs have been integrated in the mainstream public and private schools. A study by Lewis and Shaheen (2010) shows that 173 students who were integrated in these schools were initially taught in Abu Dhabi Rehabilitation and Care Center for People with Disabilities. These students were integrated into the public education system including higher education institutions. The Ministry of Education (2015) asserts that the UAE government has implemented administrative structures to make inclusion a reality in its schools. This administrative structure is articulated in the Special Education Policy and Procedures Handbook by the ADEC (2012). The handbook asserts that it is illegal for schools to deny any admission to special-needs children. This means all schools are obliged to accept admissions from special-needs children. Another administrative structure is the teaching permit for special education. Presently, the UAE provides these teaching permits to teachers interested in special education and those seeking to improve their competencies in teaching special-needs children in their mainstream classrooms. Universities have also developed curriculum to improve the competencies and providing teacher training to improve the competencies of special needs teachers (Ministry of Education, 2015). The Ministry has also established a formal assessment team whose role is to evaluate the education of special-needs children and the adoption of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) by teachers (Ministry of Education, 2015). The Inclusion Reform in the UAE The Education ministry provides a framework for integrating special-needs students in schools from kindergarten to universities. This framework involves identifying at-risk children through universal screening programs, referral to a student support team (SST) for an individualized intervention plan and implementation of the plan (Ministry of Education, 2015). The outcome would determine whether the student should continue learning in a regular class or be referred to a multi-disciplinary evaluation team for special-needs evaluation. For instance a student with severe disability may be referred to the multi-disciplinary team because he/she may not benefit from regular classroom education (Ministry of Education, 2015). Usman (2011) confirms that these efforts require the support of school administrators who are obligated to provide equal education opportunities to all students and to comply with the special education framework. The Research Problem Despite the existence of the Education ministry’s framework, the inclusion process has been affected by a number of challenges in UAE schools. One challenge is that teachers find it difficult to teach special-needs children. Anati and Ain (2012) argue that this is true for teachers who deed not receive pre-service training on special education. The teachers feel ill-equipped to handle the needs of disabled students alongside those of non-disabled students. Another challenge is that the Ministry of Education is tasked with the responsibility to ensure special education is provided in all public school levels and to monitor the adoption of inclusion in private schools. Alghazo and Gaad (2004) agree that it can be challenging for governments to ensure each and every school is complying with the inclusion reform and to monitor the adoption of this reform in every school. Based on the author’s argument, the UAE government could find it difficult to ensure reform compliance due to financial and personnel limitations to visit each school for evaluation. Some schools are unaware of how to implement the inclusion principles. Gaad (2001) confirms this could be due to lack of training for school principals and administrators on the tools and techniques to facilitate differentiated teaching. Furthermore, lack of standards or procedures to assess the effectiveness of inclusion progress in their school as well as limited feedback on the impact of inclusion on teachers and other students could affect the implementation of inclusion reforms in schools. The purpose of this proposed study is to describe the current implementation of inclusive education at the kindergarten level. This is because there is limited research on the implementation of the inclusion reform at the kindergarten level in the UAE. Most studies on inclusion in the UAE have concentrated on primary schools and higher-educational institutions. This study aims to add to inclusion literature by focusing on the kindergarten level in the UAE. The objective of the study is to explore and describe the subjective experience of kindergarten teachers as they implement inclusive education in their schools. The specific objectives to be addressed in this study are to identify the strategies that kindergarten teachers can implement to make inclusion more effective; to identify the types of disabilities and support services provided by the kindergarten; and to explain the challenges that cause the school teachers from implementing inclusion in an effective manner at kindergarten level. Research Questions 1. What are the experiences of kindergarten teachers in working in the context of inclusion? 2. What strategies can kindergarten teachers adopt to make inclusion more effective in the UAE? 3. What types of disabilities are included in kindergarten and types of support services? 4. What challenges/barriers are faced by kindergarten teachers from implementing inclusion effectively in the kindergarten level in the UAE? Literature Review The reviewed articles discussed different aspects of the topic including the inclusion reform in the UAE, the implementation of special education and factors affecting effective implementation of inclusion principles. Weber (2012) discussed the adoption of inclusive education within the Gulf Cooperation Council. The author observed that the member nations had adopted broad public education policies on inclusion to enable disabled children to enroll in mainstream classrooms. However, the article reveals that most Ministries of Education are facing challenges in implementing inclusive education in their respective member nations. These challenges are caused by the recent attention on disability, lack of a philosophical framework for inclusion and limited theoretical frameworks to help educators and policy planners understand the practical considerations for inclusion. ADEC (2012) provides guidelines for inclusive education and confirms its support for the admission of special-needs students. The Council recognizes that the implementation of inclusive education will be a challenge for schools and proposes several actions that schools have to take to meet the policy requirements. These actions include adopting a staged approach, forming a learning support team, using a specific registration process for special-needs children, involving parents, identifying teacher development needs, developing individual plans for the special-needs children, adopting exemptions or modifications for the students, seeking external support, and monitoring the students’ progress. Some studies investigated the factors affecting the effective implementation of inclusion. Alborno (2013) revealed that the implementation of inclusive education in the UAE was hampered by inadequate school structures (such as special books), teacher training, insufficient support services (such as physiotherapy), slow community awareness to reduce the negative stigma associated with disability, and need for training on assistive technologies for special education. The authors also observed that school practices, policies and cultures affected the effective implementation of inclusion. Bhatnagar and Das (2014) observed that the teachers’ concerns were a key factor affecting the successful adoption of inclusion. In particular, the authors observed that concerns about infrastructure, financial resources, large class sizes, training, differentiated instruction, performance expectations, professional development and parental pressure made teachers anxious and fearful about integrating special-needs students in their classes. Cook and Cameron (2010) and Forlin and Chambers (2011) provide similar insights on the teachers’ increasing concerns about inclusive education. Both sets of authors confirm that teachers are concerned about their schools’ admission policies, lack of training in handling disabled students, anxiety about the reform’s success, a decline in academic performance, and inadequate resources for differentiated teaching and learning. Usman’s (2011) article reveals that parents’ and teachers’ attitudes are significant factors affecting the implementation of inclusion in UAE schools. The findings showed that parents prevented their children from attending mainstream schools because they feared their children would be stigmatized, bullied or ignored by teachers and other students. In addition, the author observed that most male teachers felt ill-equipped to accommodate special-needs students due to their personal beliefs and negative attitudes towards disability. These findings contrast with Dukmak’s (2013) article that suggests that male teachers are more positive towards disabled students compared to female teachers. On implementation strategies, Anati and Ain (2012) observed that there was a need to resolve teachers’ concerns and to provide support (such as special education training and positive school culture) to reduce teacher dissatisfaction caused by lack of special education training, inadequate practice training for mainstream teachers, insufficient knowledge on inclusion by senior administrators, and limited financial resources. Similarly, Gaad and Almotairi (2013) proposed professional training and awareness strategy to reduce negative teacher attitude towards inclusion. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (2009) proposed active parental participation, community awareness and re-examination of cultural attitudes as strategies to enhance the effectiveness of inclusive education. The organization posited that the strategies would reduce the negative attitudes towards disabled students, facilitate the development of an effective curriculum for inclusion, engage teachers in training and reduce the policy cycle. UNESCO (2009) also proposed the flexibility and accessibility of current curriculums, collection of inclusion data and enhancement of data systems to improve accuracy of information on the progress of inclusive education. Proposed Methodology Research Design The study will use qualitative research design. In particular, the study will adopt the phenomenological qualitative design. This is because phenomenology allows the researcher to evaluate human experiences using people’s descriptions. Creswell (2009) confirms that phenomenology allows the researcher to collect lived experiences from human subjects. The author asserts that this research design is effective in studies where the researcher has little knowledge. This assertion is apt because the researcher does not have adequate knowledge on the effective implementation of the inclusion reform at the kindergarten level. A phenomenological approach would therefore be most applicable for this study because the researcher can evaluate the experiences of kindergarten-level teachers using their interview responses. It is important that the researcher also understands the weaknesses of the phenomenological approach before embarking on the study. Creswell (2009) points out that phenomenological research can be difficult to understand for a researcher with limited philosophical background. In addition, phenomenological research is a systematic and rigorous method that requires a novice researcher to seek the help of an experienced phenomenological researcher. Since this study is new and the researcher has limited philosophical experience, it would be prudent to seek the mentorship of an experienced phenomenological researcher. This mentor-mentee relationship would help the researcher comply with the systematic and rigorous principles governing phenomenological approach. Data Source . Convenient sampling method will be used in the selection of the sample. The participants are friends who work as teachers whose teaching experience ranges from three to five years. The researcher will interview 6 female teachers by phone. The researcher will also establish a focus group discussion of four participants in her house. Semi-Structured Interviews The researcher will collect qualitative information from ten kindergarten teachers at a UAE kindergarten school using semi-structured interviews. Fifteen interview questions will be presented to the participants. Open ended questions will be used because research shows that these questions allow the researcher to probe the respondents for further responses (Creswell, 2009). It is also important that when administering the telephone interviews and focus groups, the researcher to know herself and her biases, understand the questions, be flexible, and get critical feedback of the interview questions. Focus Group Discussion The other instrument of data collection will be focused group discussion to provide information that can triangulate the findings from the interviews. The focus group method involves one or more group discussions, in which participants focus collectively upon a topic or issue, most commonly presented to them as a set of questions. The tool brings together a group of people with experience in a common phenomenon such as implementation of the school inclusion reform policy (Miles & Gilbert, 2005). The focused group will be drawn from the participants interviewed in this same study to allow them to express and exchange their view on the issue of inclusion at the kindergarten level. The discussion will seek to answer pre-determined questions. A focused group discussion guide will be developed to guide the discussion with the view to elicit key information about inclusion at the kindergarten level. The guide is attached in the Appendix. Data Collection Procedure The transcripts of the interviews are attached in the Appendix. The interviews will be semi-structured and will use open-ended questions. The study will apply the qualitative techniques provided by Creswell (2009) since qualitative researchers document data and the data collection process; organize this data into concepts; connect the concepts to identify relationships; corroborate and disconfirm negative cases; and report the findings. Responses from the focus group will be collected using an audio recorder and then transcribed. This focus group data will be interweaved with interview data to corroborate the findings which will enhance the outcome of the qualitative study. Data Analysis Data analysis will be conducted using qualitative data analysis techniques such as the factor analysis. The process will involve the use of pre-determined codes to enable the researcher come up with key themes from the interview responses. The themes will revolve around the issues of lack of readiness towards inclusion among the kindergarten teachers interviewed. On the other hand, data from the focused group discussions will be thematically analyzed in which, key themes will be derived from the issues discussed as guided by the focused group discussion guide provided. Thematic analysis is ideal for reporting individual experiences and meanings about inclusion of children with disabilities at the Kindergarten level (Wallace & Fleet, 2012). References Abu Dhabi Education Council. (2012). Special education policy and procedures handbook. Alborno, M.E. (2013). The journey into inclusive education: A case study of three Emirati government primary schools. Master’s thesis, British University in Dubai. Alghazo, E., & Gaad, E.N. (2004). General education teachers in the United Arab Emirates and their acceptance of the inclusion of students with disabilities. British Journal of Special Education, 31(2), 94-99. Anati, N., & Ain, A. (2012). Including students with disabilities in UAE schools: A descriptive study. International Journal of Special Education, 27(2), 75-85. Bhatnagar, N., & Das, A. (2014). Regular school teachers’ concerns and perceived barriers to implement inclusive education in New Delhi, India. International Journal of Instruction, 7(2), 89-102. Cook, B., & Cameron, D. (2010). Inclusive teachers’ concerns and rejection towards their students: Investigating the validity of ratings and comparing student groups. Remedial and Special Education, 31(2), 67-76. Creswell, J. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Dukmak, S. J. (2013). Regular classroom teachers’ attitudes towards including students with disabilities in the regular classroom in the United Arab Emirates. The Journal of Human Resources and Adult Learning, 9(1), 26-40. Forlin, C., & Chambers, D. (2011). Teacher preparation for inclusive education: Increasing knowledge but raising concerns. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 39(1), 17-32. Gaad, E. (2001). Educating children with Down’s syndrome in the United Arab Emirates. British Journal of Special Education, 28(4), 195-203. Gaad, E., & Almotairi, M. (2013). Inclusion of student with special needs with higher education in UAE: Issues and challenges. Journal of International Education Research, 9(4), 287-292. Lewis, K., & Shaheen, K. (2010). Schools told to make room for special needs pupils. The National. Retrieved from http://www.thenational.ae/new/uae-news/education/schools-told-to-make-room-for-special-needs-pupils# Miles, J & Gilbert, P. (2005). A handbook of research methods for clinical and health psychology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ministry of Education Special Education Department. (2015). General rules for the provision of special education programs and services (Public and private schools). Retrieved from https://www.moe.gov.ae/English/SiteDocuments/Rules/SNrulesEn.pdf United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2009). Policy guidelines on inclusion in education. Paris: UNESCO. Usman, F. (2011). Principals attitudes towards inclusion in Dubai public schools: Where do they stand? Masters’ Thesis, Loyola University of Chicago. Wallace, D & Fleet, C. (2012). Knowledge and evaluation in library and information science. London: ABC-CLIO Publishers. Weber, A.S. (2012). Inclusive education in the Gulf Cooperation Council. Journal of Educational and Instructional Studies, 2(2), 85-97. Appendix A. Summary Table what who how where when Research Question 1. What strategies can kindergarten teachers adopt to make inclusion more effective in the UAE? 2. What factors would hinder mainstream education teachers from implementing inclusion effectively at the kindergarten level in the UAE? 3. How can mainstream kindergarten teachers implement inclusion effectively in the kindergarten level in the UAE? Participants: 6 kindergarten teachers who are my friends Background: Teachers from nearby kindergarten school will be selected. female KG teachers How relate them: The KG teacher needs to have at least one SN child in her classroom and understand the government’s requirements for inclusion reform. Type of sampling: convenient sampling Years of experience: 3-5 years or more as KG teachers Data collection tool : - Semi-structured interviews Design: Descriptive design 1. Teacher scale 2. Interview (phones) 3. special need policy and procedures- implementation and analysis Analysis: - Qualitative thematic analysis - Interview responses will be Context: KG school in UAE Outside the school “home” Teachers: Female KG1 and KG2 teachers Classes: Girl’s classes at KG1 and KG2 AD context Time 30-min interviews February 8, 2016: Morning interviews: 8:30 am to 11:00 am Feb 9 – interviews from 9:00 am to 11:30 am B. Interview Questions Introduction 1. Tell me about yourself, your qualifications and teaching experience Classroom Teaching 2. Describe the children, the classroom that you have worked and currently working? 3. What types of disabilities or children with special needs are in the classroom? 4. How do you work with children with disabilities in the classroom? 5. Do they do the same activities as the kids without disabilities? 6. Do you do anything special or different for kids with special needs in the classroom? 7. Do they have any special supports in the classroom or school? (specialized teachers, therapists, assistant). 8. Are you concerned about the size of the classroom once the special-needs students are integrated in the classroom? Participation 9. What kinds of resources do you think that the KG provides for students with special needs? 10. What kinds of activities do the students with special needs participate? Give some examples? 11. What kinds of activities do the students with special needs not participate? Give some examples? If they are not participating in activities? What are they doing at that time? 12. What factors do you think will prevent special-needs students in your class from participating in class or school activities? Curriculum 13. Does your kindergarten have a differentiated curriculum for training special-needs children? Y/N. Why? 14. What would you suggest should be included in the curriculum to make teaching easier for you and learning easier for the disabled child? Support 15. Do you think that the school has sufficient financial resources to purchase the tools and equipment for supporting differentiated learning? Why do you think so? 16. Do you think technology should be considered when implementing the inclusive education guidelines in your kindergarten Training 17. Do you think you have been adequately prepared or trained to teach special-needs children in your classroom? 18. What kinds of training or PD does your KG provide? 19. What strategies do you propose that the kindergarten could adopt to make you more prepared to teach the children? Parents 20. How is your relationship with parents of children with special Needs? What kinds of concerns do the parents bring to you? 21. What kinds of expectations do they have from you as their child’s teacher? 22. Do you think you are prepared to handle the pressures from parents of students with disabilities? Do you think these pressures will affect your work performance? 23. Has the school made any effort to involve parents and the community during the inclusion process? If yes, explain how. If no, explain why you think there has been little involvement 24. If No to Q.21, could you propose ways in which the kindergarten school could involve parents and other stakeholders in the inclusion process? Issues and Challenges 25. Do you have concerns about integrating students with disabilities in your classes? Why? 26. What factors hinder you from adopting the inclusive education system in your class Policies 27. Are you aware of an inclusion policy developed by the kindergarten or its administrators? If yes, do you think the policy is adequate in addressing the challenges that you may face when teaching disabled students in your classes? 28. If the school has an inclusion policy, does the policy articulate the objectives and goals of the special-needs students? 29. What strategies do you propose that the kindergarten could adopt to make you more prepared to teach the children? Focused Group Discussion Opening Remarks Welcome to this session and would like to appreciate everyone for acknowledging my invitation to this discussion forum. As you may be aware from our previous engagement, I am the principal researcher. Our topic is on the school inclusion reform with focus on kindergarten level, strategies issues and implementation challenges. Please note that you were selected to participate in this discussion because you have experience in one way or another on this issue and you would like to engage in discussion with the view to understand the issue from the different the perspectives. Rules to Guide the Discussion As the moderator, my role is to guide the discussion and the deliberations will be audio-recorded. Everyone has an equal chance to contribute and therefore feel free to raise your points. There are no wrong or right answers and we are interested in both positive and negative comments. We have cards in placed in front of every participant to help in remembering our names. Questions What do you think the school inclusion reform is like in our country? Has it been a success or failure and why? What are some of the challenges faced in implementing this reform at the kindergarten level? Have schools made any effort to involve parents and the community during the inclusion process? What strategies can be adopted to ensure effective inclusion of children with disabilities at the Kindergarten? Conclusion -The assistant moderator reads the key points from the discussion. Participants confirm whether the key issues raised have been properly captured. Ask participants to give final remarks Appreciate everyone for their time and contributions. Close the discussion. Read More