FACILITATING AND HINDERING FACTORS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: A RESEARCH REVIEW
By: NOE A. CALMORIN
ABSTRACT
The study aimed to determine the facilitating and hindering factors in the implementation of inclusive education at Salvacion Indigenous Community Elementary School, Butuan City. The questionnaire was used to seek the status of the implementation of inclusive education by parents and teachers in terms of policy and objectives, pedagogy and content, learning materials, and administration and supervision with interview for the facilitating and hindering factors. The result of the study served as the basis of other schools in implementing inclusive education, specifically on Indigenous People’s Education Curriculum. The statistical treatment applied was the mean and thematic analysis.
The status of the implementation of inclusive education was “satisfactorily implemented” in terms of Policy and Objectives, Pedagogy and content, and Administration and Supervision. The Learning resource was as moderately implemented due to its inadequacy of the school’s facilities, equipment, and resources for learnings. The proximity of teacher’s residence from the school is the utmost facilitating factor of the implementation of inclusive education.
The ultimate hindrance of the implementation was the lack of school equipment and facilities. Inadequate areas for more classrooms, lack of learning materials, teacher’s difficulty in speaking IP’s dialect, and unavailability of the officials, also hindered the implementation of the program.
Introduction
In the past, indigenous people were given the least attention due to their different ways of living. According to Lukong (2016), there have been diverse opinions on what constitute and reflect indigenous people and indigenous education. The scope has been broadening with the emergence and fusion of inclusive education to achieve and meet the educational needs of every student. The marginalized groups including the indigenous people face multiple barriers to education and are being left behind in terms of educational achievement.
Current trends in education focus on the importance of inclusive practices, characterized by valuing all, respect for differences, and enabling the full participation of all learners including addressing a sense of belonging for all. Progress made in getting children into school was slower than many countries that was anticipated during the second half of the 20th century (Lukong, 2016). Much work has been done along these lines with the development of specially tailored school systems and pedagogical approaches, identity language instruction, and reinforced indigenous knowledge content. These approaches require more support to be properly implemented in all countries where indigenous people live. It is imperative for education to create an environment and opportunity where staff and students promote respect and ensure that cultural differences are heard and explored (Barker et al., 2009).
According to Loreman (2017), inclusive education is a contested concept, with the underlying practices and meanings varying from region to region. In order to discern what inclusive education is, it is necessary to consider local conceptualizations of childhood and children’s rights, models, and structures of schooling, societal norms, and other regional conditions. This is no easy task and this lack of clarity have led to “wiggle room” that some education jurisdictions have taken advantage of by using the language of inclusion but in reality changing little in order to promote the practice.
A useful way of understanding inclusion is to consider the polar opposite, exclusion. Inclusive education is viewed as a process of removing barriers to participation. In other words, identifying that which excludes individuals or groups of children from schooling with their peers and then ensuring that those barriers are eliminated (Mittler, 2012).
Malaysia is moving towards holistic inclusive education from integrated special education practice in all primary and secondary schools. Inclusive education curriculum is embedded in the pre-service teacher training courses. The current integrated special education program is utilized to engage and integrate children with disabilities and children in the mainstream in activities and subjects that can promote acceptance and understanding for all children to accept and respect everyone in school communities (Hussain, 2017).
In countries like Lao PDR, Myanmar, Cambodia and Timor Leste, inclusive education has been implemented by placing children with disabilities especially those who are blind and deaf in the mainstream classes. These countries are still developing and in dire need of financial, manpower and capacity to enhance teachers’ skills and knowledge in specialized disabilities and to teach in inclusive classroom. Inclusive education is the main education system available for CWD in these countries as these countries are still developing and face a lot of challenges to train teachers to be specialists in special education (Hussain, 2017).
The Department of Education in the Philippines has also restructured their education system from fully segregating the Special education towards inclusive education. The Department is currently conducting IE courses for both special education and mainstream teachers to support their CWD in the normal classroom. According to Charema (2007), even if a developing country has the financial resources to properly integrate special needs students into regular classrooms, IE is not the act of merely “dumping” special needs students into regular classrooms and hoping they can stay afloat.
Culturally inclusive education is difficult to define because it is differently understood in different contexts. It indicates inclusive education in special education – the term suggesting exclusion rather than equal participation (Cologon, 2013). In practice, teachers are required to become culturally responsive and inclusive by validating students and promoting equity within the classroom (Jones-Goods, 2015).
As mandated by the enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 (Republic Act No. 10533), the K to 12 Basic Education Program seeks to make education learner-centered and responses to the needs, cognitive and cultural capacity, the circumstances and diversity of learners schools and communities. These curriculum standards and principles guide the Department of Education (DepEd) in maintaining a basic education system that is inclusive, equitable and culture-based.
The indigenous people are among those with the lowest literacy rates. It is a challenge to serve their needs in remote areas to take into account their culture, languages and current realities. In an attempt to respond to these challenges, the Department of Education has adopted the Indigenous People Curriculum Education Framework (DepEd Order No. 32, s. 2015) that seeks to provide guidance to schools and other education program both public and private as they engage with indigenous communities in localizing and enhancing the k to 12 curriculum based on their respective educational and social contexts.
In line with the abovementioned policy, the Department of Education, Division of Butuan City initiates the IPED program and opened its first school that implement indigenous peoples education in June 2016 at Sitio Salvacion, Brgy. Manila de Bugabus Butuan City named Salvacion Indigenous Community Elementary School. The residents in this area are mostly Higaonons. The majority of the children did not attend formal education due to the distance between their homes and the school. Implementing the IPEd is not a simple task for an IPEd teacher. There are many factors to be considered before teaching a lesson. At present, Salvacion Indigenous community Elementary school operates and continuously adapt the changes in the mainstream curriculum to fit in with the culture, traditions, and customary laws of the tribe.
Objectives of the study
The result of the study may inspire the administrators to create and design a program that will improve teaching that fit on the indigenous people’s unique way of living. They will acquire knowledge on how to implement effectively the inclusive education especially on Indigenous People’s Education. This study is also beneficial to the teachers and their pupils and serve as valuable information to discover their potentials that boosts the interest of the learners. It will encourage the pupils to exert efforts at self- development in order to become real assets for their families and communities.
Methods
The study employed a researcher–made questionnaire to determine the status of the implementation of inclusive education. It was validated by the members of the panel and adviser. Revisions were made based on the suggestions of the panel. The instrument determined the status of implementation of inclusive education in terms of Policy and Objectives, Pedagogy and Content, Learning Resources, Administration and Supervision. Interview guide questions were used to supplement the responses on the facilitating and hindering factors in the implementation of inclusive education in Sitio Salvacion, Brgy. Manila de Bugabus Butuan City. After accomplishing the questionnaire, the respondents were interviewed on the facilitating and hindering factors in the implementation of inclusive education at Salvacion Indigenous Community Elementary School. In quantifying the responses a specific scale was utilized.
The participants of the study were informed of the purpose of the study and they were assured of the confidentiality of their responses and anonymity of their identity in keeping with the established standards for ethical research, no information that lead to the identification of the participants was included in the manuscript or in the publication of the study’s findings. Before conducting the survey, the researcher sent a letter to the Schools Division Superintendent with the endorsement of the researcher’s adviser and the Dean of Graduate School of Saint Joseph Institute of Technology to ask permission to conduct the study. Upon approval, the researcher informed the school head and schedule the conduct of the study. The parents were requested to come to the school as scheduled. The survey question was administered to the respondents. The researcher explained the purpose of the study and gave instruction. The questionnaire was translated to the vernacular. After accomplishing the questionnaire, a one on one interview was done to the participants to express their ideas on the facilitating and hindering factors in the implementation of inclusive education. The data gathered were examined, tallied, analysed and interpreted.
Result and Discussion
The overall mean is 3.67 on the status of inclusive education implementation in terms of Policy and objectives with the interpretation of “satisfactorily implemented”. It can be gleaned that the parents’ rating on the policy and objectives is higher compared to the teacher’s rating. This is due to the parent’s lack of knowledge of the policy and objectives. According to Kavale and Mostert (2003), poor outcomes may be found but, it is argued that these should drive them to greater efforts to discover how to implement a policy seen as inherently correct.
The overall mean 3.68 of status of inclusive education implementation in terms of pedagogy and content with the interpretation of “satisfactorily implemented”. The general result of the pedagogy and content is at average level, and these level in School-based management competency is discouraged and need to be improved. Formal education should not only teach about the outside world, but should also support and value traditional knowledge, culture, livelihoods, world views and pedagogical methods that meets inclusive educational objectives. To do this appropriately inclusive infrastructure, curricula and pedagogical materials should be tailored to the unique needs of every indigenous learners, communities and peoples. This includes modified schedules, distance learning initiatives, mobile schools and culturally and linguistically appropriate pedagogical materials.
The overall mean 2.89 on status of inclusive education implementation in terms of learning resource with the interpretation of “moderately implemented”. It because of the school lacks learning resources that contributes a huge factor in facilitating and assessing pupils learning. The school is newly opened which was hard to have a complete facilities as it consumes more time and effort to be realised.
The overall mean 3.46 on the status of inclusive education implementation in terms of Administration and Supervision with the interpretation of “satisfactorily implemented”. According to Loreman et al. (2005), public school systems, though, provided only for students who were deemed to be educable or trainable and during this time many children with profound support needs were not offered places even in special schools.
The responses to the facilitating factors are presented based on the responses of parents and teachers categorized based on themes conducted in school and community. The responses are summarized according to the interviews conducted that are considered as facilitating factors in the implementation of inclusive education at Salvacion Indigenous Community Elementary School. Most of the parents interviewed said that the proximity of teacher’s residency from the school helps the implementation of inclusive education because their time in teaching pupils, working schools reports and creating instructional material is maximized. Going home early due to the distance of school from home is not done.
Some parents said that the cooperation of the parents is one of the facilitating factors of the inclusive education implementation. With this regard, through cooperation and helping hands of the parents, it builds deep relationship and camaraderie not just in the community but also in the neighbouring sitio. Community does not refer to local institutions or neighbourhood, but collectivistic consciousness that is a shared belief of responsiveness and connectedness to a collective whole (Dumont, 2005).
Other parents said teachers are well trained, they have these long experience in teaching the profession which help in the implementation of inclusive education to be effective. Their long experience in teaching has a big impact in improving the school and developing the potential of the learners to its best.
Equal parents said that teachers are approachable in different ways inside or outside the school premises, official time or their off duty, teachers are always accountable. These virtuous characteristic of teachers helps in the implementation of inclusive education. Even if the teacher is busy, they always prioritize parents or pupils in compiling and getting the documents needed as required by the Department of Education.
Few parents said that teachers training in different areas allow teachers to use different strategies in teaching IPEd curriculum. Even if teachers cannot understand or speak the IP’s dialect, their training in different areas facilitates in implementing and imposing the IP’s curriculum in teaching and connect it to the mainstream curriculum.
Some parents said that the teachers are efficient because they stay in the classroom without looking at the time passed, rare to be absent, has its own resources like laptop, printer, gadgets for learning resource and use their personal money in times of school fund deficiency.
Few parent respondent said that the school head is very active and supportive in school development, teachers’ trainings, and sending pupils into competitions with the school head roaming around, and the first one to initiate things, reason why stakeholders are always in attendance in times of assistance.
The responses on the hindering factors in the implementation of inclusive education are summarized according to themes. Majority of the parents pointed out that lack of school equipment hinders the implementation of inclusive education because it has been observed as a potent factor to quality education. It is importance to the teaching and learning process that cannot be over-emphasized. Effective learning occurs through one’s interaction with the environment. Environment here refers to the facilities and equipment that are available to facilitate students learning outcome or achievement.
Other parents said that the area is inadequate for more classrooms. The school area measures 2,376.5 square meters only and complicated in building new classrooms. The classroom is where pupils gain an understanding of their place in the world and the gifts that they have to offer.
Some parents said that lack of learning materials hinders the implementation of inclusive education due to its importance as primary function in students learning.” They highlighted that instructional materials enhance the teaching-learning process by exhibiting information necessary to acquire knowledge and skills.
Few parents answered that teachers’ difficulties in speaking the IP’s dialect is a hindrance in the implementation of inclusive education. They said that teachers are not members of the indigenous people and know less about the customs, tradition and most important the dialect of IP’s that is needed in teaching the IPEd curriculum.
Very few parents said that the unavailability of the officials is one of the hindering factors of inclusive education. They stated that the timeframe of the DepEd officials will be compromised because visiting the school consumes time and effort due to its remote site and tremendous distance from the city.
A parent said that the IP’s dialect is hard to master that hinders the implementation of inclusive education. They stated that they are indigenous by blood but cannot speak well their dialect due to its tedious words used, how much more in teaching the IP’s dialect.
Findings
The status of the implementation of inclusive education was “satisfactorily implemented” in terms of Policy and Objectives, Pedagogy and content, and Administration and Supervision. The Learning resource was as moderately implemented due to its inadequacy of the school’s facilities, equipment, and resources for learnings. The proximity of teacher’s residence from the school is the utmost facilitating factor of the implementation of inclusive education.
The ultimate hindrance of the implementation was the lack of school equipment and facilities. Inadequate areas for more classrooms, lack of learning materials, teachers difficulty in speaking IP’s dialect, and unavailability of the officials, also hindered the implementation of the program
Conclusions
The implementation of inclusive education is in need of school facilities to cater the needs of teachers and pupils. Teachers residing near the school helps the implementation of inclusive education. The duration in teaching pupils, working school reports and creating instructional materials is maximized. Insufficiency of school equipment and facilities hindered the implementation of the program. Pupils deserve to take full access to all resources and it plays a huge factor in disrupting a quality education.
Recommendations
Administrators should create or design a program or activities that will improve teaching based on the educational needs of the indigenous people. They must constantly develop and enhance the status of the implementation of inclusive education and should acquire equipment and facilities needed. Teachers may encourage to provide the best possible strategies in teaching IP learners and to prepare them for further education and careers. Pupils may have a confidence in enrolling and studying in this school since this would assess their learning in connection with their indigenous knowledge. Future Researchers should determine the status and identify the facilitating and hindering factors in the implementation of inclusive education.
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