School-based Factors Influencing Implementation of Inclusive Education in Public Secondary Schools in Makadara Sub County, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate school based factors influencing implementation of inclusive education in public secondary schools in Makadara sub county, Nairobi County, Kenya. It was guided by the following research objectives; to establish the influence of teachers‟ attitude, teaching methodology, teachers training and availability of physical facilities on the implementation of inclusive education in public secondary schools in Makadara sub-county. The study reviewed related literature from different scholars‟ works informed by the study objectives. Social Model Theory of Disability was used in this study. The study was conducted using a descriptive survey design. Makadara had a total of 11 public secondary and so all the 11 principals were considered for the study. A population of 297 teachers and 5994 students both with and without disability were targeted. The researcher sampled 10 principals to participate in the study. Simple random sampling was used to select 30% of teachers which was 89 teachers. As for the students, 10% of the total population was taken amounting to 599 students. Purposive sampling was used to select students with disabilities in mainstream schools. The researcher used questionnaires and observation checklist to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Piloting was conducted in order to determine the reliability and validity of the instruments. Validity was also established by use of expert judgment while, the reliability was also tested using test-retest technique. Data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The study realized a total response rate of 87.6 percent. The study findings revealed that most of the teachers had negative attitude towards inclusive education as majority of teachers preferred teaching normal pupils without mixing them with challenged learners. Though, the study findings showed that a few of the teachers involved all students in the teaching and learning process, to enable effective implementation of Inclusive Education. Although most of the teachers were trained and had relevant teaching experience various challenges were impediment in the implementation of inclusive education in Makadara Sub-County. Therefore, the study concluded that inclusive learning was not effectively implemented. This study made recommendations that the schools should consider immediate restructuring of physical environment in schools aiming at making them barrier free and disability friendly. This can be through sourcing for funds from parents and Constituency Development Fund.