PERCEPTIONS OF THE BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE INCLUSION IN IRISH CLASSROOMS: VOICES OF TEACHERS IN ONE INFANT SCHOOL

In this study, the author considers the attitudes of infant teachers in an Irish primary school towards inclusive education. A focus group was set up and the researcher met this group on two separate occasions to determine the attitudes of the particular cohort. Inclusive education is a topical and contested area in education not only in Ireland but also internationally. Therefore, the author contends that the results emanating from this study have implications for the wider educational community.

Lack of training, funding and classroom resources were highlighted as the main barriers to effective inclusion. In addition, the attitudes of parents and their willingness to embrace an inclusive philosophy was paramount if inclusive education is to be successful. Despite these issues, the teachers were very positive with regard to adopting inclusive principles and expressed why they thought these principles should be included in school policies. Having examined the data from this study, ways in which schools could improve their practice in this regard are presented.
The author consciously chose to work with a cohort of infant class teachers as early intervention is considered best practice in Irish schools and, therefore, what these teachers had to say about this is both relevant and worthwhile.