Planning on Research on Inclusive Education - Essay Example

Introduction Inclusive education can be defined as education that is all encompassing. It does not discriminate whether children have disabilities ornot. This kind of education shifts from previous methods of handling children with special needs that put them in separate institutions from other normal children. Inclusive education helps such students to learn because it affects both their psychological and social arenas. However, this kind of education does not simply involve simply putting students together; it must be backed up by a whole of a lot of homework ranging from planning, researching and support. Literature Inclusive education can include a number of strategies. Most of the research on this topic focuses on; global movements, laws on inclusive education within and without a given country, resources, deconstruction of special schools, sources of funding for inclusive schools and other ideas that may boost the development of Inclusive education. There are various global movements that have worked towards the inclusion of the pupils with special educational needs. Schooling of these pupils with special educational needs has changed from neglect previously to integration presently. Global movement is taking part in the African countries, the Asian countries the European countries and also in the South American countries. In the United Kingdom there is a very strong policy framework which is based on the inclusive principles and values together with additional funding. Similarly the movements have allowed the pupils with the special educational disabilities to understand their needs well and this has enabled them learn to live in a world that is full of differences. This movement has a global dimension whereby there is a connection between the various countries globally and this has spurred a commitment by various countries to set their national targets for the pupils with special educational needs. (Norwich, 1994) Special schools have been in place since the days of old. But with the introduction of inclusive schools, their number has continuously declined but not enough has been done so far. A survey done by Centre for Studies in Inclusive Education indicates that there are still several special schools in the UK. It also shows that the number of students that get sent to inclusive schools as compared to special schools has been on the decline. In the year 2001, there were close to sixty one percent of children with special needs that were placed in mainstream schools this was an increase of five percent from the mid nineties. Besides, there was a seven percent decrease of special schools in the UK. Staff working in these special schools also reduced by close to eleven percent in that same year. However, more still needs to be done as there is still a large portion of the education system that has not included children with special needs in their program. Laws have also been regulated towards the realization of this agenda. In the UK, there have been a number of laws that have been passed that worked towards implementation of inclusive education. There were acts that were passed in the year 1986, 1993 and 1996. All these acts placed emphasis on the fact that children with special needs should be given the right to attend mainstream schools if their parents allow it and if there is a provision for them in that institution. In the year 1998 and 1997, the Government made publications specifically relating to children with special needs. Here, they addressed plans that would assist in this inclusion program. There were a number of newsletters written by the government concerning inclusive education at that same time. Later on, a special education needs and disability act was passed that reinforced special children's entitlement to mainstream schooling. An exception was provided if the child would cause very serious impairment to education in the classroom or if their parents did not allow it. (The Children Act 2004, 2004) It has been found that there is a lack of funding towards this form of education. This could be credited to the fact that most people have an attitude of suspicion towards the system and may not be fully aware of the benefits that could result from it. This implies that there needs to be information regarding this program. However, the Government has played a major role in contributing towards this initiative. Between the years 2001cto 2004, it contributed about two hundred and twenty million pounds towards the funding of inclusive education. Why l chose this research topic Inclusive education is a right to every child. No child should be subjected to segregation and exclusion even when they have disabilities. There is therefore a need to lay emphasis on this aspect of education. There are some laws that have been passed that do not necessarily show lack of discrimination in relation to education for needy children. The 2001 Children's act is prejudiced because it places responsibility of taking children to inclusive school on parents and use of resources by schools. Some people have denied children with special needs the right to attend mainstream schools because they claim that doing so may not be in that child's best interest. This is however subject to misinterpretation as a number of parents and stakeholders have denied these children chances to pursue education in mainstream schools. Lastly, there is still an element of discrimination for children with special needs. This is due to the fact that there are still staff members working in special schools and that there are also a number of people who take their special children to these centres. Therefore, more still needs to be done to ensure equality in education. Research aims To examine methods of implementation of Inclusive education To find out teacher perceptions on inclusive education To find out what are the effective methods of implementing inclusive education Methodology and reasons for choosing it There are a number of methods that may be used to carry out this research but the methodology chosen for this particular research is the use of Case Study. Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that is concerned with the study of knowledge. Epistemological procedures on methods of research try and test the method to ensure that the method is valid and can be used. This means that when we examine all the advantages, disadvantages, and procedures of the research method we can be perceived to have conducted an epistemological study. Case study can be defined as a research approach that deeply analyses a group, occurrence or individual. Case studies can be done in a number of ways. Some of these include; interviews, observations, records and psychometric tests. This methodology is most appropriate for unique occurrences that may be difficult to explain and understand using established ideas and methods. There are also a number of categories in this type of methodology; they may be explanatory, exploratory and descriptive case studies. The type of case study to be undertaken will be descriptive. This means that the case study will be done with the aim of coming up with a cause and effect relationship. Case studies have been in place ever since the twentieth century. In the 1930s, they gained their fame in the US and Europe due to large immigrant populations. In the US, case studies were particularly used in the state of Chicago to find out about sociological needs of immigrant populations. This method is not only limited to sociology, but has also been applied in a variety of disciplines. Some of them include law and medicine. Actually law students focus majority of their course on the study of cases. Case studies have also been used by government institutions to find asses whether certain programs have been successfully implemented. Because of these wide applications, it is safe t say that case studies have been tried and tested and can therefore be applied in the study of inclusive education. Most of the time, this research methodology may be confined to the analysis of a single case. But at other times, the analysis is done on more than one case then a conclusion is drawn by averaging thus being called multiple case research. Multiple case research has been acclaimed with concretizing conclusions, this is because pattern repetition increases confidence in results obtained. If the results obtained are accurate, then the method can be used again and again. The method of study is favourable because it can be considered as a concentration of the global occurrences into local settings. Although some critics have claimed that the method lacks universality, their arguments can be put to rest if the goals of a research have been properly established and the goals have been met at the end of the research. Some of the advantages of such a method of research are; it can easily be used to explain a rare occurrence. It gives room for one to obtain details and descriptions on the latter mentioned cases. Besides, case study allows researchers to develop a hypothesis about a certain situation and this hypothesis provides a platform for further testing and study on the subject matter. Case study also spares researchers from having to deal with situations that may be too problematic by providing a representative sample. Lastly, the method satisfies the three essential features of any qualitative method of research. These three include; Describing Understanding Elucidation Sometimes quantitative methods may be seen as inadequate because they may obscure very vital information. Some of the disadvantages of this method of research are the fact that; it is very difficult to have direct links between causes and outcomes. It is also very difficult to test proof a given hypothesis. Case studies are also disadvantageous because they do not apply to all the people under study-in some cases, the person or group may not represent phenomenon that is common to all. Critics have called this method of research 'microscopic'. A researcher is only allowed to evaluate the facts of the case before him no matter how bizarre or unusual they may be. There is also a chance that there will be inaccurate information given. This could be due to memory loss by individuals or some individuals may have selective memory. Others may not be experts in the field and may therefore be lacking crucial information necessary for the study. It may also be difficult to draw conclusions in case studies when very important information is missing after conducting the research. (Mittler, 2000) Research tools used The research was carried out by the following methods: Direct observation Personal interview Direct observation is a research tool done by making visit to the area under research. This means that the research tool provides an analyst with the opportunity to participate fully in his/her subject matter. However, care must be taken by the observer to avoid any distortion of normal or typical behaviour. Observation does not have to be done by one participant. Other people can do it too then results can be compared and concretised. During direct observation, the analyst can collect some physical evidence of the researcher to make his research more credible. There are a number of things that may be noted during the research but it is important for the analyst to remember his research aims and stick to data that relates to these aims. Some of the advantages of this research tool (observation) include the fact that it is quite straight forward and easy to use. Some other research tools may be too complicate thus increasing the chances of making an error. Observation allows one to obtain firsthand information. This data has not been tampered with, manipulated or changed in any way and can therefore be regarded as accurate. Direct observation can be used to validate information got from other sources. (Evans, 2002) One disadvantage of the method of research is the fact that it requires a lot of time to implement. One has to travel to the area of research, make prior arrangements with stakeholders concerned and make other preparations that take a lot of the researcher's time. Another disadvantage is that the observer may have certain preconceived notions about the subject matter and these may act as a hindrance to obtaining accurate information. This type of research tool is also limiting in the sense that it is best used for analysis of physical rather than mental tasks. Also, the method will only be reliable if the analyst has some experience in the field and has gained skill in this are of research. Lastly, it is difficult to validate the reliability of research done through the method of direct observation. (Fletcher-Campbell, 1994) Interviews may either be open ended or structured. Open ended interviews are those in which the interviewee is asked to give his/ her comment on a particular issue. They normally explain more details about a given occurrence or they may be validifying facts obtained from previous interviews. Structured interviews are those in which interviewees are asked previously written questions. This method of interviewing is usually preferred when the analyst intends on comparing sources of information. Some of the advantages of using interviews to research include; it is a very appropriate method of research when the person to be interviewed has had a long term exposure to the situation under study. It is also quite appropriate for matters that are not easily observable and require an in depth analysis. This method is therefore useful for psychomotor processes. Lastly, interviews are an ideal method for obtaining qualitative data. There are also a number of disadvantages of this type of research tool. The first being that it is very difficult to ensure that data is reliable because there are times when the interviewee has his or her own biases and may not be objective on his responses. It takes skill for interviewers to ask relevant questions directly linked to research aims. This is mostly due to the fact that there are questions that are well designed. Interviews are also disadvantageous when one is trying to compare data obtained from two very separate sources. This means that the method may not be appropriate for multiple case design research. (Armstrong, 2000) Sample chosen and how it was chosen The sample chosen was a random classroom in the school. This meant that there were no preconceived ideas before the observation. It was conducted by attending one of the classes and noting down some of the activities going on in the class. The total time dedicated to observation was three hours and forty five minutes. An interview was done by choosing a teacher in this mainstream school. This teacher had been working for the school for all the years that the school had been in operation. This meant that she had a lot of experience teaching children with special needs together with other children. The questions asked in the interview were such that they would enable the accessibility of information concerning how inclusive education was implemented, what teachers think about inclusive education and what are the effective methods of implementing inclusive education. (Daniels, 2000) School description The school that will be chosen is an old school that is well known in the UK. It is an inclusive school that has even obtained recommendation from the local authority. This is because it has a high level of children with disabilities. This was prompted by the many activists of inclusive education. Also, there was a school for special children that had closed thus prompting the intake of a large number of disabled children. (Reynolds, 2007) The school chosen will be one that been in operation for ten years now and has a teaching staff of about fifty. The principal of this school has gained a lot of acclaim for her championing the cause of inclusive education. Addressing issues of validity This can be improved by any of the following methods Reviewing the first copy of the interview report by key parties who will be involved in the interview Coming up with a link between the various types of information found from the observation and interview. Doing the case study in another classroom and interviewing another teacher. Or dealing with a number of interviews. This can then be followed by accurate comparison of the answers. Limitations and problems experienced There will be some problems anticipated in the research. The first is that the principle maybe initially reluctant to allow a complete stranger into their school to do an analysis on them. It may also be found that the regular students may seem to be in their best behaviour after seeing the interviewer and may not act naturally. It may also be strenuous to get to this school location as it is very far. Lastly the teacher to be interviewed may seem too opinionated. (Florian, 2006) Ethics There are various aspects of research that must conform to ethical standards. Some of these include honesty in reporting the data. Data must not be falsified and it must also not be misrepresented. One should also strive to be objective in their study because when a researcher is biased in his/her studies then they will be hindered from performing tasks and analyses efficiently. It is also important for one to respect material that is not theirs. This means that during the research, if some information will be obtained form a secondary source, then this must be indicated as such. Plagiarism is not ethical. Lastly, it is important to remember that some information during the interview may be confidential so the researcher should attempt to keep this information private because it will be in violation of interview-interviewee privilege. All the above issues will be kept in mind during the research. Conclusion Inclusive education is still a challenge in the country and a research is therefore vital in this area. The best method to be used for the research will be case studies because they allow the researcher to acquire vital information in a direct manner. It will entail the use of interviews and observation of the case under study because these methods allow one to acquire facts that cannot be seen by other research tools. The school chosen for study should be one that has been in operation for long so that a reasonable explanation can be drawn from this establishment. Problems that will be experienced mostly stem from suspicions from people who may not be comfortable with the idea of someone analysing them, also transportation inconveniences and problems with the interviewee. Appendix: interview questions 1. What do you do when a child feels unwell 2. How do you prepare for a lesson in light of the fact that you teach special needs children 3. Have special needs children ever caused a serious interruption in class and what did you do about it 4. What kind of training did you receive prior to your current position 5. Do you feel like you spend a lot of time focusing on children with special needs 6. Does the administration provide resources to help you in your work 7. How has participation in mainstream classes helped the child's education 8. What do you think about special schools 9. How do other members of the class react or treat these special needs children Reference Florian, L. Et al (2006): The SAGE Handbook of Special Education London, Sage Mitchell, D. (2005): Contextualizing Inclusive Education, Evaluating old and New International Paradigms. London Routledge, Falmer. Reynolds, C.R. and Fletcher-Jansen E. (2007): Encyclopedia of Special Education London, Wiley (3 volumes, forthcoming) Armstrong, F. et al (2000): Inclusive Education, Policy, Contexts and Comparative Perspectives, London, David Fulton Daniels, H. (2000): Special Education Re-formed, Beyond Rhetoric London: Falmer Press Mittler, P. (2000): Working Towards Inclusive Education: Social Contexts London David Fulton The Children Act 2004 (2004): retrieved from; http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk_ , accessed on 19th November 2007 Evans, J. and Lund, I. (2002): Inclusive education, are there limits European Journal of Special Needs Education, 17, (1) Fletcher-Campbell, F. (1994): Still Joining Forces A Follow-Up Study of Links between Ordinary and Special Schools, Slough, National Foundation for Educational Research Jowett, S. and Moses, D. (1988): Joining Forces, a Study of Links between Special and Ordinary Schools. Slough, National Foundation for Educational Research/Nelson. Norwich, B. and Weddell, K. (1994): Working Together: Inter-School Collaboration for Special Needs. London, David Fulton Publishers United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (1994): The Salamanca Declaration and Framework for Action. Paris, UNESCO. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (2001): Open File on Inclusive Education. Paris: UNESCO. Retrieved from; www.unesco.org/education/educprog.sne, accessed on 20th November 2007 Read More