Special Educators' Perceptions of their Roles in Supporting Inclusive Education

Abstract

As Kazakhstan joins the worldwide movement towards inclusive education through a process of educational reforms, the role of key stakeholders is important in facilitating change. Special educators are stakeholders in this process and their attitudes play an important role as they may support or hinder the progress of inclusive reforms. The present study investigates how special educators in Kazakhstan (defectologists) understand their role in relation to current educational reforms. The present case study is broadly phenomenological and qualitative in design. Six special educators were voluntarily recruited to participate in one-on-one interviews with the researcher concerning perceptions about their role within current reforms. The findings indicate that inclusive education in Kazakhstan is viewed by some within the education sector in narrow terms as the integration of students with mild disabilities into mainstream schools, and may not be seen as a wide-scale reform of the education system which can impact and transform the practice of special educators.