Abstract:

The inclusion of students with various levels of ability in mainstream classrooms is a worldwide trend. A shift in speaking about inclusion can be traced to the international agenda through the Salamanca Inclusion Statement (United Nations, 1994) and the UN Convention on the rights of Persons with Disability (United Nations, 2007). According to national educational policies, Saudi Arabia is one of the countries seeking to move toward more inclusive schools. This is done by way of a model for inclusive practice deriving from the U.S., referred to as the Tatweer project. Tatweer, supported by the Saudi government to develop education, presents itself as aiming to improving all students’ education and outcomes, including those with different abilities. It locates inclusive education at the centre of the development agenda, with Goal 3 focusing on access to quality and equal education and giving support to all students based upon their needs, regardless of race, sex, or social and economic circumstances (t4edu, Tatweer, 2007).

This study, based on my doctoral dissertation, aims to examine this model and to discuss the nature of the inclusive practice that Tatweer has introduced to create effective practice which includes students with different abilities. Empirically, this study relies on 31 semi-structured interviews with Tatweer staff, headteachers, teachers and teaching assistants from both Tatweer schools. These interviews allow for an enhanced understanding of the ways in which these representatives of Tatweer speak of inclusion, define inclusive practice and view pupils with additional support needs. Because of the substantial role played by teachers in the implementation of an inclusive educational process, their understandings and attitudes are crucial to achieving successful inclusion. Considering teachers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of disabled students, studies have shown that teachers’ attitudes differ according to several variables. Avramidis & Norwich (2002) indicated that these variables can be divided into three main categories. First, student-related variables are based on the type or severity of disability; second are environment-related variables; third, and the variables that could be considered as the most important here, are teacher related variables such as age, gender, teaching experience, experience with children with special needs, level of training. The present paper focuses on teacher-related variables, stressing that the gender of teachers in this study appears to be one of the factors influencing teachers’ perceptions of students with disabilities, and therefore their approach to inclusion. Male teachers tend to be more open to accept students with disabilities. Also, as could be expected, special education teachers generally have a better understanding of the situations faced by students with disabilities and the best ways to deal with these as they have been trained to work with disabled students.

Data were collected through semi-structured interviews as a study tool because interviews are a relevant and helpful method when the researcher seeks to understand the thoughts, views, and beliefs of individuals (in this case, teachers), and to investigate issues more thoroughly in a specific context (in this study, Saudi Arabia). Participants were purposively selected from among teachers who are teaching in inclusive classrooms in four primary schools in Riyadh.

Keywords:

Inclusive Education, Disability, Teachers, Perspectives.