Teachers’ perception of the effect of implementation of inclusive education on KCPE performance in public primary schools in Bungoma North Sub County, Bungoma County, Kenya

Abstract

The drop in performance in KCPE in public primary schools in Bungoma North Sub County since the introduction of inclusive education has been a major issue. The purpose of the study was to investigate the Teachers’ perception of the effect of inclusive education on KCPE performance in public primary schools in Bungoma North sub-county. The objectives of the study were to examine the teachers’ perception of the effect of inclusive education teaching approaches on KCPE performance, to establish the teachers’ perception of the effect of teacher’s level of preparedness in inclusive education on KCPE performance, to assess the teachers’ perception of the effect of availability of instructional resources for inclusive education on KCPE performance and to establish the teachers’ perception of the effect of inclusive education mode of assessment on KCPE performance. Descriptive survey design was adopted. The population for this study included 1348 teachers and 105 Head teachers from public primary schools. A sample size of 308 teachers and 83 head teachers was obtained using Yamane’s formula. Data was collected using interview schedule for Head teachers and questionnaires for teachers. Instruments were pre-tested and discussed with supervisor in order to improve their validity and reliability. Collected data was coded and analyzed using Microsoft Excel Randomize rand SPSS program. Statistical analysis such as frequencies and percentages were also used. The study findings showed that a majority (73.4%) of the teachers in public primary schools in Bungoma North sub-county did not have adequate skills necessary for identification of learners with special needs. This was majorly attributed to the lack of training on special needs education. The study findings also showed that majority (68.0 %) of the teachers had insufficient training to meet the needs of learners with special needs within their inclusive classrooms. The study findings further showed that a majority of (76%) of the teachers in primary schools in Bungoma North sub- County were in agreement that learning materials prepared for learners with special needs were used on very few learners. This implies that teachers were not involved in helping learners with special needs in inclusive classroom. The study recommends Teachers in public primary schools to undergo in- service courses in special needs education in order to gain skills necessary to teach effectively in inclusive setting. Teachers need to utilize extensive range of instructional approaches that target the diverse learning needs in an inclusive class. There is also need for Kenya national examination council to organize for setting separate KCPE examination for learners with special needs in inclusive education so as to improve performance. The significance of my study was that most of the teachers had a desire to further their studies to gain more skills and knowledge so as to be reflective teachers in teaching inclusive classrooms.