Parents' Experience of Their Children with Special Educational Needs in a Mainstream School in Nur-Sultan

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore parents’ perceptions about inclusion of their children with special educational needs in local schools. In Kazakhstan, the idea of inclusive education is quite new and its actual implementation continues to evolve. School leaders and educators have conflicting opinions as to whether children with special educational needs should be given the opportunity to study in mainstream schools alongside their peers. As a result, parents of SEN children often find it extremely challenging to find a mainstream school that is willing to enroll their children. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to examine the experiences of parents with SEN children in terms of educational access and equity. Data was collected from six parents using a narrative approach in order to get an in-depth understanding of their experiences and challenges with the school system in one city. The data was analyzed according to common themes. The findings showed that parents' perceptions about inclusion of their children were affected by several factors. The data that was collected from the interviews revealed that school support, community understanding, and special services offered in schools have an impact on the decision of parents about inclusion in mainstream schools or to make the decision to have them in a separate special school. In general, most parents were grateful to have their children in schools with inclusive conditions, such as inclusive resource rooms and individual educational programs. The only thing that challenged parents is collaboration with main school stakeholders and teachers’ level of readiness to accept the children in classrooms. This resulted in parents’ negative perception about inclusion in schools. This study has the potential to further inform educational policy, school stakeholders on how to best work with and support families who have a special needs child.