The Perspectives of Parents Who Have a School-aged Child With Down Syndrome Towards Inclusive Education in Petropavlovsk

Abstract

The development of inclusive education has become one of the priority directions of the national program of education in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2011 – 2020. According to the State Program for Education Development of the Republic of Kazakh¬stan for 2011-2020, 70% of all Kazakhstani schools are expected to become inclusive and open their doors to children with special needs by 2020. On the contrary, children with special needs or disabilities are still educated in correctional schools or at home rather than in mainstream schools (OECD, 2015). It is believed that parents know their children best and can provide information about their children's strengths, weaknesses, preferences, disabilities, and needs. Logically, parents of children with disabilities should be considered as primary agents in the field of education. Nevertheless, parental views and experiences are disregarded, and it is proved by responses of parents in this study. The main purpose of the study is to explore the views of parents who have a school-aged child with Down syndrome towards inclusive education in Petropavlovsk. Additionally, the research aims to investigate what parents of school-aged children with Down syndrome feel about the inclusion of their children in mainstream schools in Petropavlovsk, to shed light on the factors that influence parental attitudes and beliefs, and find out whether parents advocate for the rights of their children with disabilities and how. Qualitative research method was used to conduct the study, with data collected through semi-structured interviews with six parents. The findings showed that parents of children with Down syndrome have a positive attitude towards inclusive education, but they feel negative about inclusion of their child in mainstream schools. Parents associate studying in mainstream schools with a number of barriers such as lack of properly qualified teachers and support service, social negative attitude and challenging curriculum.