Further, the study is hoped to make a significant contribution to an understanding of inclusive education practices in Ghanaian schools by identifying what needs to be done to ensure effective implementation of Inclusive Education. Keywords: inclusive education, implementation, teachers` attitude, Ghana, American Journal of Educational Research, 2014 2 (3), The general view about including children with disabilities gave in the regular classroom, gave the following typical responses: It is difficult to teach effectively in a class of over thirty students with more than one student with special needs, such as speech difficulty, sign language student and those needing braille we spend almost half of school time work on attending to these students and this is the first time some of us have students who need a lot of help to cope with everything in the class. A meta-analytic test of intergroup contact theory. The utility of Allport’s conditions of intergroup contact for predicting perceptions of improved racial attitudes and beliefs. Group interviews were undertaken for reasons of contact and interactions reflecting Allport`s Theory of contact (1954), where opposing groups are put together to generate useful information for textual analysis on intergroup relationships (Favvaza & Odom, 1997; Kennedy, Shukla & Fryxell, 1997; McClenahan, Cairns et al., 1996; Pettigrew, 1998; Stein, Post & Rinden, 2000; Wittig & Grant-Thompson, 1998). A third student added; “As for me I have a kind and smart friend, we sit at the same desk he helps me a lot, he explains everything the teacher teaches in the classroom to me”. UNESCO. Cornoldi, C., Terreni, A., Scruggs, T., Mastropieri, M. (1998). the context of inclusive education. Nine out of ten children with disabilities are out of school, and 80 percent of all children with disabilities live in developing countries. Asked what it was to implement Inclusive Education in the regular classroom, three attitude factors were produced and reported by the teachers (Table 3). Kuyini & Desai (2007) recognised the lack of regular in-service training sessions for teachers, and rigidity of school programs, which hindered creative initiatives for inclusive programs, including lack of support from school principals. Studies have revealed that teachers` attitudes toward students with disabilities are different, and these various differences/reasons are dependent on schools` practices of inclusion. 3. To examine variables of educators` attitudes toward Inclusion. Studies in Ghana, by Gyima, (2010), Ofori-Addo, Worgbeyi and Tay (1999) identified some key challenges, similar to those reported earlier by O’Toole, et al. The Journal of Special Education; Bensalem; 34/4, p. 203-213. Citation-(RIS One student with vision impairment had this to say; “the teacher told me to sit in front so that I can see properly what is written on the board” Teachers say I disturb so I should sit in front” said another student with hearing problems. 3. Republic of Ghana's Policy on Inclusive Education and Definitions of Disability: Inclusive Education Policy in Ghana May 2015 Journal of Policy and Practice in … In the field of inclusive education this theory is without doubt of great importance. 43 In Ghana the implementation of inclusion is well recognized and policies Stanovich, P. J. This means that the more teachers and principals know about inclusive education the more they have a positive attitude towards it. The Theory of Planned Behavior is an extension of The theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975) which asserts that the more favorable the attitude towards a behavior and the more favorable the subjective norms towards the behavior, the stronger will be the individual’s intention to perform the behavior. & Sridhar, D. (2003). The purpose of this study was to examine teachers` attitudes in implementing Inclusive Education in primary and junior high secondary schools in two districts in Ghana (Bole and New Juaben). 39 of educational needs such as poverty or other conditions hindering successful 40 implementation of inclusion. Further, the contextual realities of regular education schools including notably principals’ expectations (Kuyini & Desai, 2007; Sodak& Podell, 1994), shape the school cultures or climates for successful inclusion. All interviews were transcribed, and the unstructured qualitative data was coded and categorised according to the main procedures and techniques of Grounded Theory (Wesley, 2010; Kvale 1997). It is recommended by this study that awareness-raising about disability is a good step towards an equal position of students with disabilities in the schools in particular and people with disabilities in the society in general. A synthesis of group design studies. Attitudes and there from resulting behavior towards disabled students generally transformed into the classrooms are based on strong religious and cultural beliefs which are entrenched in all aspects of the society. In this regard, a teacher commented: Mainstream schools, probably are not able to cater for students with extreme disabilities. Thesis Structure (Disposition) Chapter 1 (Introduction); this chapter describes the background, Literature review and relevance of the study in the field of social work. International Journal of Educational Development, special needs, capacity development, education plan, Special and inclusive education in Ghana: Status and progress, challenges and implications. He summarised that “Prejudice may be reduced by equal status contact between majority and minority groups in the pursuit of common goal. It is also essential to acquire an understanding of the impact of these variables on practices of inclusion. It should be noted that students` identity, self –awareness and self-esteem are developed through relationships with others, teaching social skills to students with variable social deficits may benefit peer interaction in a learning environment (Pettigrew, 1998). The phrase "inclusive education" has attracted much attention in recent years. Format), Citation-(EndNote (2009). Journal of Research and Development in Education, 12, 97-113. UNESCO, Paris. There was a general notion by students interviewed (Table 1) that teachers were not actively involved in helping their social life both in the classrooms and outside, so getting friends to play with is often a problem for disabled students. This involved the integration of young people with special learning needs into normal schools, without taking them out of the classroom (except in very exceptional situations), but by setting up teaching experiences adapted to all of the children, whatever their needs. As one of the teachers put; How can we teach a child with language problems? Rigidity and curricular inflexibility is a result of teachers` attitude and poor teacher knowledge (Avoke & Avoke, 2004; Kuyini & Desai, 2006, 2009; Ocloo & Subbey, 2008; Yarboi-Tetteh, 2008; Gadagbui, 2008). & Desai, I. Emerging themes from interviews was coded and analysed with the respondents. Inclusion, Rehabilitation and Transition Services in Special Education. Finally, a social atmosphere or norms that encourage interpersonal and intergroup contact can facilitate rapprochement and greater understanding between members of different ethnic groups; (3) fostering interactions (Pettigrew, 2011). Towards the development of inclusive education in one district of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It has been produced to inform the finalization of the Education Sector Plan (ESP) 2018–2030 and to ensure a broad evidence base for future policymaking. Measuring school environment and participation to support inclusive education The right to equal and quality education, initially set out in Article 28 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNICEF, 1989) and Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities , is also reinforced in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda , adopted in September 2015. A teacher remarked: We are told what to do and if you don’t you face problems may be losing your job or at best transferred. The study will be useful in providing an understanding of how each of the study variables impact on inclusive school practices in Ghana. The authors first delineate the wider human well-being and historical contexts. 1. To examine how Ghanaian teachers implement Inclusive Education. Stainback, S & Stainback, W. (1996). (2002). Avramidis, E., Bayliss, P. & Burden, R. (2000). & Jordon, A. & Desai, I. Retrieved from: http://ddp-ext.worldbank.org/EdStats/GHAgmrpap09.pdf (Retrieved on 2011-05-20). without disability and special educational needs in Ghana. This picture of Ghana’s inclusion program from the forgoing creates a crucial need for broader investigation into inclusive school practices, the nature of school-principals’ and teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion and their knowledge of inclusive education. Students` socialisation with others is not on the optimal. This was evident in the limited use of instructional adaptations to meet individual needs. Behavioral intention is determined by attitude towards a target behavior and knowledge (Ajzen, 1985). Winneba: Department of Special Education. Principals’ and Teachers’ Attitudes and Knowledge of Inclusive Education as Predictors of Effective Teaching practices in Ghana. Ghana’s Education Sector Analysis (ESA) 2018 provides an objective assessment of the state of education in the country. Cook, S.W. Measuring Concerns about Integrated Education in India. Celebrating and sharing my experiences and journeys of inclusive education in Ghana. Sharma, U. (2000), Stanovich, & Jordon, (2002) and Moberg, Zumberg, and Reinmaa (1997) stated that educator beliefs, perceptions and training should be viewed as potentially influential antecedents to their commitment toward implementing a successful inclusion policy. 2. To examine why teachers implement Inclusive Education the way they do. Department of Educational Foundations, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana. This theory is linked to The Intergroup Contact Theory. Conceptualizing disability in Ghana: Implications for EFA and Inclusive Education. & Wrightsman, S.L. (1997). • SpED built capacity for inclusive education in the district through; – Training of trainers (TOT) workshop. Alhassan, Awal Mohammed. Intergroup Contact Theory is used intensively by researchers to reduce tension among groups (Brown & Hewstone, 2005; Dovidio et al., 2003; Pettigrew, 1998), and, indeed, there is impressive evidence that positive contact is associated with more favorable attitudes toward the out-group (Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006). Changes at policy level and support facilities for special needs students as an explicit concern are needed to achieve this equalization. Cross-cultural perspective. (1978). In other words, are schools restructured, re-oriented and re-organised to create school norms /climates conducive for inclusive education? The Inclusive Classroom: Strategies for effective Instruction. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 22, 537-540. Social outcomes for students with and without learning disabilities in inclusive classrooms. 20 students were also interviewed. (2007). Teachers in the study view inclusive education as difficult, most of them agree that students with disabilities are placed into mainstream schools. Another teacher added; we can deal with a child having social problems not those with visual and hearing impairment. And without learning disabilities? changes to the teachers and one to the of., and that administrators at their schools lack the understanding to effectively implement education! Disaffection, 1 ( 1 ) 86-95 is perhaps a result of similarities in the classroom study is a. School students with disabilities B., Hofslett, K., & Shapiro, S. K. ( 1999 ) perspective., T.F., & Shapiro, S. ( 2009 ) are we there yet least there is student... 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