ATTITUDES OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS TOWARDS INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN BELIZE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW By JENEVA JONES This Dissertation is being submitted in partial fulfilment of the Requirement for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION 2020 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH WALES ABSTRACT For the last three decades, the remarkable practice of inclusive education has been supported and carried out in many countries across the world. Belize however, continues to face many challenges in implementing inclusive education, making the process very slow in its development. The aim of this qualitative systematic review was to determine the attitudes held by Belizean primary school teachers towards inclusive education in general education classrooms. The study utilised the PRISMA guidelines for conducting systematic reviews, document and thematic analysis as the research methods for collecting and analysing empirical data relating to Belizean primary school teachers‟ attitudes towards inclusive education. A total of four documents were included in this review. According to the study‟s findings, primary school teachers in Belize have varying attitudes towards the inclusive education of children with special needs. Such results provide many implications for further development in inclusive practices in the country. However, a few teachers indicated negative or neutral attitudes towards the process. The latter attitudes were influenced by various factors related to the student, teacher and educational environment. The findings also indicate chief challenges that hinder the implementation of quality inclusive education such as the lack of knowledge by the teachers, the lack of educational resources and the lack of parental involvement in the children‟s education. The author concludes that primary school teachers in Belize have varying attitudes towards including students with special needs into their classrooms. There is still much more work to be done in improving the attitudes of some teachers and creating more effective inclusive educational environments. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to give thanks firstly to God for allowing his divine strength and wisdom to flow within me as I write this piece of work that may assist every child with any type of disability in Belize and beyond. Thanks to my husband Leyonel Jones for encouraging me to keep pushing ahead and complete the work when I was very exhausted and didn‟t think I could have finished. Special thanks to my course teacher, Dr. Leonard Kiarago for his very outstanding guidance throughout this extensive process. Your assistance and very detailed feedback allowed me to seek knowledge and understand much more about the research process. Lastly, thanks to my children for being extremely patient and understanding throughout this time; especially when I had to be tucked away in my room and abandoned my mommy duties during the time I carried out this research. iii DECLARATION This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not being concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree. Signed……………………………………………………… Date…………………………………………………………. STATEMENT 1 This dissertation is being submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA in Education (Innovation in Learning and Teaching) Signed……………………………………………………… Date…………………………………………………………. STATEMENT 2 This dissertation is the result of my own independent work/investigation, except where otherwise stated. Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit references. A bibliography is appended. Signed……………………………………………………… Date…………………………………………………………. STATEMENT 3 I hereby give consent for my dissertation, if accepted, to be made available for photocopying and for inter- library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations. Signed……………………………………………………… Date…………………………………………………………. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................................................ ii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................... iii Declaration ................................................................................................... iv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Background of the study ............................................................................... 1 Purpose of the study .................................................................................... 2 Research Aims ............................................................................................. 4 Research Objectives .................................................................................... 5 Research Question ....................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Introduction ................................................................................................... 6 Inclusion of students with special needs in Belize ........................................ 6 The Importance of Implementing Quality Inclusive Education ...................... 7 Teachers Attitudes towards Inclusion ........................................................... 8 Factors that Influence the Attitudes of Teachers towards Inclusion .............. 9 Teacher knowledge and preparedness ................................................. 10 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY Introduction ................................................................................................... 12 Research Design .......................................................................................... 12 Data Collection Method ................................................................................ 13 Sampling Strategy ........................................................................................ 15 Data Analysis ............................................................................................... 17 Ethical Concerns .......................................................................................... 17 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND FINDINGS Introduction ................................................................................................... 19 Teachers‟ feelings towards Inclusion ............................................................ 19 Influential Factors on Teachers‟ Attitudes towards Inclusion ........................ 21 Student-associated factors ...................................................................... 22 Teacher-associated factors ..................................................................... 22 Educational Environment- associated factors .......................................... 23 Challenges to Inclusive Education ................................................................ 24 v CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION Introduction ................................................................................................... 25 Discussion of Findings.................................................................................. 25 Research Question 1 ............................................................................... 25 Research Question 2 ............................................................................... 26 Research Question 3 ............................................................................... 26 Limitations .................................................................................................... 27 Implications and Recommendations ............................................................. 28 Implications for future research .................................................................... 29 Summary ...................................................................................................... 31 REFERENCES ............................................................................................. 32 APPENDICES .............................................................................................. 36 vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study Education acts as a unique instrument which is utilised to influence the world as it endorses social transformation among different societal groups. Education today is therefore, widely recognised as a fundamental right to every person, regardless of his or her aptitudes or incapacities (Paramanik et al., 2018). For the last three decades, global dialogs have commonly focussed on the inclusion of learners with disabilities into regular classrooms (Pit-ten Cate et al., 2018). The term inclusion “embodies the concept of all children being educated in common settings with their age-matched peers” (Sokal and Katz, 2015, p.43). Inclusion of students with special needs in Belize Belize, formerly known as British Honduras, is a small English speaking country in Central America. It attained its independence from Great Britain in 1981 (Robson. 1997), but held onto many British culture, traditions and even certain aspects of the educational system. At the onset, schools in Belize did not cater to students with special needs, however, as the leaders in education around the world began to show more concern about the education of children; Belize signed onto declarations like the “Rights of the Child” and the “World Conference on Education for All” (UNESCO, 2007, p.3). These international meetings helped the Belizean leaders in understanding the rights of children; especially in regards to getting an education. Later on in 1991, the Ministry of Education made an effort to fulfil its commitment to these conventions, and started up the “Special Education Unit (SEU)”. This unit of the Ministry of education assisted in educating children with disabilities in various parts 1 of the country (UNESCO, 2007, p.5; UNICEF, 2012). Although the introduction of the SEU demonstrated great initiative from the Belizean leaders; this unit acted in total segregation of the other sectors of the Ministry of Education. Additionally, the children in these special schools were not involved or mixed with the students in regular schools (UNESCO, 2007). Later on, in 1994, Belize was represented at the “World Conference on Special Needs Education” by education leaders who signed onto the “Salamanca Act” and consequently developed regulations for inclusive education (UNESCO, 2007, p.3). These new regulations mandated the “Special Education Unit” (SEU) to successively undergo substantial changes. In 2007, the SEU was changed to the “National Resource Centre for Inclusive Education” (Magnusson et al. 2017, p.409). This change in name also came with other significant changes such as the allowance of children with disabilities into regular classrooms with the close supervision of the personnel from the National Resource centre for Inclusive Education. . 1.2 Purpose of the study: Currently, the educational system in Belize is relatively sluggish in the implementation of quality inclusive education (McKay, 2012). This signifies that the development of policies that mandate the process of inclusion and the adoption of inclusive practices are not absolute sureties that applicable and consistent practices are followed within the classrooms of Belize. Moreover, since the initiation of inclusion in Belize, only a few studies have been carried out in this particular area; which leaves a wide gap that generally calls for exploration. 2 This study has therefore emerged due to the researcher‟s genuine concerns for students with special educational needs who are placed into general education classrooms, as well as to provide assistance to the various stakeholders in education such as teachers, parents, administrators, the Ministry of Education and other researchers; in understanding the glitches that negatively affect the progress of inclusive education. Firstly, the students with special needs, who face many difficulties in the mainstream classroom would benefit because the knowledge provided would allow educational leaders to provide for teachers, the necessary support and adequate resources which would allow them to tailor educational services to meet the individual needs of these students. Secondly, this study is significant because it would provide insight into views of teachers who are at the forefront as the key facilitators of inclusion. The study would assist the teachers with knowledge that could make inclusion a more favourable and practical exercise. Next, the parents of learners with special needs would also benefit because this knowledge gained by all stakeholders would allow their children to experience less barriers in school such as discrimination and seclusion within the classroom. Additionally, educational leaders, the Ministry of Education and policy makers would benefit from the study by gaining a general understanding of the attitudes that teachers hold towards the inclusion of students with special educational needs; as well as the reasons why those attitudes exist. Furthermore, the study is significant to me as the researcher, because it contributes to my professional development as a mainstream educator and an 3 aspiring teacher-specialist in social and emotional disorders. The study will allow me as the researcher to recognize and make known, the strengths and weaknesses of the inclusive educational system in my country; in an effort for all stakeholders to build on those strengths and make improvements to those weaknesses. Lastly, upon completion, this study would meaningfully contribute important insights into the current debates surrounding the challenges of inclusive education within the region of the Caribbean and beyond. Also, reviewing the available data on teachers‟ attitudes towards inclusive education in Belize can provide guidance to practice and future studies. This study assumed that most teachers in Belize would have negative attitudes towards the inclusion of students with special educational needs into mainstream classrooms. 1.3 Research Aims: This dissertation aims to provide a systematic review of the attitudes held by Belizean primary school teachers towards inclusion. It is important for those in education to address current research gaps in an effort to provide quality inclusive education in the country. Additionally, the study seeks to investigate the factors that influence teachers‟ attitudes towards the education of students with special needs alongside other students in mainstream classrooms. The findings of the study will make available a foundation for the reinforcement of both in- service and pre-service teacher programs and also the other educational support services in Belize. 4