Attitudes of Kindergarten Teachers Towards Inclusion of the Children With Special Educational Needs in Nur-Sultan

Abstract

Kazakhstan, as a developing country, has an educational system moving towards inclusion as a signatory of the Salamanca Statement and recognizing the needs in the education of the students with special educational needs. In Kazakhstan, the implementation of inclusive education has made progress for the educational levels from elementary school to high and school education. However, there has not been enough attention to inclusion within the kindergarten educational environment. The number of students with special educational needs is continuing to rise. Therefore, the educational system of Kazakhstan should be ready to provide young learners access to education in an inclusive environment. Kindergarten has a vital role in the preparation of the children to enter formal schooling. This research investigated teachers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of the children with special needs into general kindergarten programs. The main question of this research was, ‘What are Kindergarten teachers’ attitudes toward the inclusion of children with special needs?’ Eight kindergarten teachers from different kindergartens in Nur-Sultan participated in semi-structured interviews expressing their viewpoints regarding the inclusion of children with special educational needs into the present system of preschool education. Findings showed that most of the preschool teachers expressed a generally positive attitude towards students with special educational needs. While all the teacher participants supported the idea of inclusion, none of them were positive in terms of how the inclusion was realized in their settings. Most of the participants expressed many challenges of teaching children with special needs. The study has also revealed how the environment and teacher's experience have influenced their willingness to work with children with special needs. Furthermore, the participants addressed the gaps in the realization of inclusive education in the preschool educational system.