Making Inclusion Work: Teacher Characteristics as Critical Determinants of Education for Learners with Physical Disability in Inclusive Primary Schools in Western Kenya

Abstract

Since independence in Kenya, there have been several policies and working papers concerning education for the pupils with physical disability and generally inclusive education such as the Sector Policy for Learners and Trainees with Disabilities (2018). However, even with all this, the academic performance of learners with physical disability in inclusive schools continue to record low performance compared to those without disability. Inclusive education was supposed to provide learners to provide equal educational opportunities to both learners with and without physical disability. The objective of this paper therefore was to determine the influence of teacher characteristics which included attitude, satisfaction and teaching strategies on academic performance of learners with physical disability in Western Kenya inclusive schools. The study employed a convergent parallel mixed method design in five inclusive schools for pupils with physical disability. Data was generated from among 65 teachers, 52 pupils with physical disability and 73 regular pupils by use of a questionnaire and an observation guide. For inclusion to be successful as a framework, this scrutiny is required in order to improve the learners’ overall academic outcomes.