Articles

The study examined teachers' perception of inclusive education in the three educational circuits in Tamale Metropolis in the Northern Region of Ghana. Research paradigms underpinning the study are Positivism, Interpretivism, and Pragmatism. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. The study population comprised 81 teachers from the Gumbihini Educational Circuit, 100 from the Hospital Educational Circuit, and 72 from the Salaga Road Educational Circuit. The study population was from a pool of two hundred and fifty-three (253) teachers. The census method was used as a sampling technique for three (3) educational circuits and two hundred and fifty-three (253) teachers. The main instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. The data were analysed with descriptive statistics to determine the frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation scores for the response from the questionnaire and hypothesis. On the level of knowledge teachers in Tamale Metropolis have about inclusive education, Even though the study revealed that teachers know how to meet the needs of learners with learning disabilities and use varied learning activities to engage a diverse range of learners, knowledge in meeting the needs of learners who are gifted most teachers do not know to meet the needs of learners with speech and language, or communication disorder. Again, the findings revealed that teachers need to learn about meeting the needs of learners who are seen as having behavioural difficulties. Teachers were also found to not know about meeting the needs of learners who are blind or have low vision. Furthermore, the study revealed that teachers do not know how to assess, test, or evaluate the learning of children with disabilities. In the statistical analysis, special educators were found to possess a higher level of knowledge among primary school teachers who were studied than their general/regular educators' counterparts, even though the difference was not statistically significant. On the level of knowledge teachers in Tamale Metropolis have about inclusive education, regular in-service education and refresher courses will help improve and reorient teachers' knowledge towards performing their duties in inclusive education. The study, therefore, recommends that the Tamale Metropolis Directorate of Ghana Education Service collaborate with bare school heads in assisting teachers through the implementation of professional development/training programmes to employ adaptive instructional strategies to help children with disabilities.

Effective Inclusive education experiences can be built through structured interventions. The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of inclusive education experiences on teacher-trainees with sensory impairment in the Ghana Colleges of Educations of Ghana. The study was based on pragmatist philosophy. The study adopted convergent parallel mixed-methods approach. The population involved all 66 students with sensory (visual and hearing) impaired in the three (3) CoEs (PCE, Akropong Akwapim, WESCO, Kumasi and NJA, Wa) that practice inclusive education (IE) during the 2018/19 academic year. Purposive and census sampling techniques were used to select the three (3) colleges of education and sixty-six students for the study. The main instruments for data collection were questionnaire and focus group discussion. The quantitative data items were coded for input into the Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 23 software and analysed using means and standard deviations. The qualitative extracts collected into themes that were coded, analysed and interpreted. The study revealed that teacher-trainees had varied experiences on campus, while they felt welcomed into the inclusive institution; they also felt the Colleges were not well prepared to meet their needs. The physical environment was not conducive for the VI on campus. It is recommended that, College authorities should work with the MoE and agencies concerned with disability issues in the society to provide comfortable environment on College campuses for TTSI. It is also recommended that, providing a comfortable environment should include facilities and resources needed for the TTSI to learn effectively. It also involves physical arrangement of the campus environment. The TTSI, regardless of their disabilities, should be provided with an environment where their movement, their studies, their interactions with their peers and tutors are made easier to help them graduate successfully.