Abstract: This paper explore on the prospects of inclusive education (IE) within elementary schools in Kenya. Kenya has adopted an inclusive education policy of establishing special Units alongside regular primary schools to ensure implementation of Sustainable development goals (SDGS) and the Kenyan Vision 2030 which aims at creating a globally competitive and prosperous country with high quality of life in Kenya. The paper also identifies the teacher preparedness and attitude regarding IE in Kakamega County, Kenya. Finally the article suggests some remedy for effective implementation of IE in Kenya. The study was informed by the social learning theory of Albert Bandura. The total sample size for the study constituted 31 respondents. Probability proportion to size (PPS) sampling was used to select 29 schools, purposive sampling was used to 31 class teachers. The study used questionnaires, interview schedule and observation check lists to collect data. A pilot study covered 10% of the target population which was excluded from the final study. Reliability of the instruments was determined through split half method. Correlation coefficients for the teachers questionnaire was; r = 0.7122 which were considered acceptable. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively through percentages. Qualitative data was transcribed and put into various categories and presented as emergent themes. The study findings showed that Kenyan government through legal framework support IE in the Country, attitudes towards learners living with disabilities change when teachers undertake some special education need training to support learners in inclusive schools and teachers with positive attitudes and relevant facilities may enhance IE in Kenya. The association between teachers attitude and learners’ academic achievement is significant (p=0.000 < 0.05), this implies that there is a positive association between teachers attitude and learners’ academic achievement. The study recommends the government, school management and other stakeholders to invent ways in which they can provide resources to cater for the inclusive practices as well as to have a review in education to include special education training in all teachers training colleges and also facilitate teachers to go for in-service trainings in order to improve their attitudes, skills, and increase their knowledge of inclusivity.
Keywords: Inclusive Education, Special Education, Regular classroom, Special Educational Needs students, Regular Students, Academic Achievement.
Title: Inclusive Education in Kenya: Within Kenyan Elementary School and Teacher preparedness
Author: Nanyama E.Mabele, Bota N. Kennedy
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
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