Barriers to Including Children with Disabilities in Egyptian Schools

Abstract

This study set out to investigate teachers' perceptions of barriers to including children with disabilities in general schools in Egypt. This descriptive, qualitative study drew on a purposive sample of twelve general and special education teachers within two educational districts in Cairo, Egypt. Through in-depth interviews, teachers were asked about their perceptions of the barriers that hinder the implementation of inclusive education in Egypt. Four categories of barriers were identified: structural-organizational, personal, interpersonal and socio-cultural barriers. The findings showed that these barriers are related and interact to affect teachers' beliefs about the possibility of the implementation of inclusion in Egypt. In addition, the study argues that “barriers to inclusion” is a very complicated issue that includes many interrelated contextual factors that should be addressed to implement inclusion effectively. The results indicate that differential change procedures should be followed if we would like to enhance the learning of children with disabilities in inclusive settings.

Inclusive Education in Primary and Secondary School: Perception of Teacher Training

“…[ 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. However, in geographical areas that present cultural and educational differences with respect to Spain, such as Arabian regions, most teachers show a negative attitude towards it, possibly due to the lack of teacher training on inclusion and diversity through well-designed specific courses, poorly prepared school environment, inadequate curriculum and evaluation modules, among other barriers [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. In contrast, other research in the Arab population shows that primary school teachers have a better perception of their skills with respect to inclusive education [ 46 ].…”

Factors Influencing Pre-Service Teachers' Self-Confidence in Teaching During the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…However, Flower et al (2017), indicated that many pre-service teachers do not receive important content necessary for the success of students and teachers especially on how to use technology for their lessons with students. They are viewed as often feeling less prepared to deal with diversity in their classrooms due to the lack of useful skills in integrating technology into their lessons (Hassanein et al, 2021). Acknowledging the usefulness for teachers to be able to integrate technology into their lessons, the current curriculum includes a technology training component which considers how content, pedagogy, and technology dynamically constrain each other, helping teachers to utilise technology in classrooms more effectively (Nasr, 2020).…”

Attitudes of Greek General Education Teachers Concerning Inclusion Policy

“…The implementation of inclusive education is only possible when schools are designed and managed so that all children experience a quality learning environment, as a result of which a significant effort to reform the education system of most countries is required (Hassanein, Adawi, & Johnson, 2021).…”

“…During the last three decades, there has been a remarkable action oriented towards inclusive education, globally (Hassanein, Alshaboul, & Ibrahim, 2021). Many countries around the world are committed to providing education to all children without discrimination by signing conventions on the rights of the child and the rights of persons with disabilities (Hassanein, Adawi, & Johnson, 2021). Besides, the participation of all individuals, regardless of their strengths or weaknesses, is an inalienable right of human existence (Polyzopoulou & Tsakiridou, 2022).…”

“…Human behavior is consistent with many of our attitudes and certain attitudes predict certain behaviors (Polyzopoulou et al 2014). One way to better understand the barriers that inhibit the implementation of inclusive education is to explore the perceptions of people who contribute to any educational policy change, which are the teachers (Hassanein, Adawi, & Johnson, 2021). The role of teachers in the issue of inclusive education has been studied in many research, with the application of different methodologies, but this specific field requires additional investigation due to the nature of the relationship between these two fields (Noreen, Intizar, Gulzar, 2019).…”