Inclusive Practices in Elementary Education: What Do the Heads of Schools Perceive?

Volume 12 Issue 4 March - May 2017

Research Paper

Inclusive Practices in Elementary Education: What Do the Heads of Schools Perceive?

Sankar Prasad Mohanty* , Nishipadma Nanda**

* Lecturer, Department of Education, Brajrajnagar College, Brajrajnagar, Jharsuguda, Odisha, India.

** Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Chetana College of Special Education, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.

Mohanty, S.P., and Nanda, N. (2017). Inclusive Practices in Elementary Education: What Do the Heads of Schools Perceive? i-managers Journal on School Educational Technology, 12(4), 15-23. https://doi.org/10.26634/jsch.12.4.13548

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the perception of elementary school heads about inclusive education practices followed at elementary schools. Grounded in positioning the theory, the study was conducted with a sample of twenty Headmasters (N=20) from Garadpur block of Kendrapara district (Rural) and Cuttack city (Urban) of Odisha. Interview Schedule containing six dimensions was used for data collection. Qualitative research analysis was used to explore how Heads of Elementary Schools are prepared for inclusive education practices. The main findings show that, perception of head masters was negative towards Inclusive Education. Heads or Headmasters need to be adequately trained so that they acquire skills and knowledge that would help them in their classroom teaching and practices, especially on inclusive settings. Because of this lack of training, HMs lacked confidence in teaching children with special needs in their classrooms especially if it had to take place in an inclusive setting. The findings of the study have significant implications to the school administrators, teachers, and other stakeholders who are directly and indirectly involved in implementing inclusive education.