Abstract:
Successful implementation of inclusive education is the key area attracting most
educators across the world today. Few schools in Kenya have attempted inclusive
education. There was little information on evaluation attempts towards inclusion. This
study attempted to investigate teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education. It
employed planned behaviour theory by Ajzen which gives a link between attitudes
and behaviour. A questionnaire was used to gather information on teachers’ attitudes
on their willingness to teach. Teachers’ attitudes towards Special Needs Education
teaching methodology, administration and parental support in an inclusive education
setting were also sought. The study used both quantitative and qualitative research
approach. A survey research design was used with selected primary school teachers
from Teso South Sub-County which had a total of 754 teachers. Seventy five teachers
were selected using simple random sampling. The analysis of coded data was
analyzed using SPSS version 20. Thereafter, analyzed data was fed into Microsoft
Excel to generate tables and figures. Descriptive statistics, frequency tables, bar
graphs and percentages were used to present the data. The findings of the study
revealed that majority of teachers had a negative attitude towards inclusive education
due to insufficient knowledge on the practice, limited administration and parental
support. Therefore, the findings will help stakeholders in education, namely; teachers,
parents and education officers in matters of planning, organizing and managing in-
service training to facilitate inclusion for smooth provision of education for pupils
with special needs in public primary schools. A similar study could be of importance
if conducted in privately owned institutions of learning, both at primary and
secondary school levels.
