Thesis

Inclusive education in Ghana : understanding inclusive pedagogical practices of primary school teachers in regular classrooms

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Awarding institution
  • University of Strathclyde
Date of award
  • 2025
Thesis identifier
  • T17283
Person Identifier (Local)
  • 202050252
Qualification Level
Qualification Name
Department, School or Faculty
Abstract
  • The concept of inclusive pedagogy is an effective approach for ensuring equitable, quality learning for all children in the same classroom, regardless of their challenges. Despite the ongoing discourse about inclusive pedagogy, research examining how teachers conceptualise the concept and enact practices in their classrooms in Ghana is limited. This study adopts the sociocultural theoretical perspective to examine teachers' conceptualisation of inclusive pedagogy and how they enact, adapt and justify their pedagogical practices to promote the inclusion of children with special educational needs in Ghana. The study was guided by an overarching research question: How do teachers enact and justify their inclusive pedagogical practices in regular education classrooms in Ghana? Three sub-questions were developed to help answer the main research question: (1) How do teachers conceptualise inclusive pedagogy? (2) What is the nature of teachers' inclusive pedagogical practices within a regular classroom context? (3) What is the rationale behind teachers' inclusive pedagogical practice? The current study provides critical insights into how teachers conceptualise inclusive pedagogy and documents useful practices regarding their pedagogical practices that could be adopted or adapted by other teachers in similar research contexts. The study methodology was a qualitative case study within the constructionists' paradigm. Participants included ten classroom teachers who were purposively selected from five regular public primary schools in Ghana. Data were collected using lesson observations at two time points per teacher (20 observations) and in-depth interviews (n=17). Teachers' lesson notes and artefacts were collected to supplement data generated from the field. Data were analysed through a five-stage process using the reflective thematic analysis approach. Findings revealed that classroom teachers conceptualised inclusive pedagogy in nonuniversal ways. These include teaching all children together, promoting the participation of children with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms, making separate or inclusive provisions and adopting reflexive or reactive processes. These conceptualisations were based on their understanding of inclusive education. Further, all the participants favoured including children with special educational needs in the regular classroom. However, although all six female teachers believed that inclusion would benefit all children, three out of the four male teachers thought otherwise. They believed that making separate provisions for children with special educational needs would be more beneficial than teaching them with their typically developing peers in the same classroom. Other demographic variables, such as teachers' experiences (years taught) and their professional qualifications, appeared to have no direct impact on their views about inclusion. Additionally, findings revealed that teachers used different pedagogical strategies to deliver their lessons, described under four main themes. The themes include (1) Providing accommodations and support for all learners, (2) Promoting lesson accessibility through multiple communication techniques, (3) Encouraging learners' action using a variety of assessment techniques and (4) Building support for learners with special needs through creative collaboration. Teachers' inclusive pedagogical strategies identified in the data comprised more generic practices such as questions and answers, multiple examples, role play and field trips. Others, such as differentiated learning, deficit or strength-based approaches and peer support, were used purposely to assist children with special educational needs. The findings indicate that teachers continue to create several learning opportunities for children with special educational needs using various inclusive pedagogical approaches. However, observation showed that some children with special educational needs were excluded from some lessons. Challenges such as limited resources, inadequate training, and large class sizes impacted teachers' inclusive pedagogical practices. This situation was compounded by the diverse characteristics of special needs children in classrooms. The results demonstrate that addressing the barriers identified can improve teachers' practices and attitudes toward supporting all learners. Thus, given the appropriate support, teachers in resource-constrained countries like Ghana can adapt their lessons and practices to provide for all learners regardless of their needs. This research's output can help improve in-service and pre-service training programmes to enhance teachers' knowledge in effective inclusive pedagogical practices. Finally, the study proposed an inclusive pedagogical approach (Introspective Inclusive Pedagogical Approach), which could be adapted to study or improve practices of classroom teachers in all settings, including resource-constrained countries.
Advisor / supervisor
  • Adams, Paul, 1969-
  • Sosu, Edward
Resource Type
DOI

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