Moving From Attitudes to Practice: Utilizing Inclusive Teaching Strategies in Kenyan Primary Schools

• In Event: 46.085 - Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: 46.085-19 - Postcolonial Dialogues in Educational Research

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence of Kenyan primary school teachers using inclusive teaching strategies in a rural setting with many known barriers to the development of a sustainable inclusive education system. This qualitative study examines teachers’ uses of inclusive teaching strategies in primary schools following a series of teacher trainings, classroom observations, teacher-author conferences, reflective lesson plans, and pre- and post-questionnaires. Moving beyond legal mandates and attitudinal assessments, the outcomes of this study demonstrate that in a short time, and among a small sample of dedicated teachers, administrators, and government education officials, that a culturally responsive approach to implementing inclusive learning strategies proved beneficial for meeting the needs of diverse primary school students in Western Kenya.

Authors

• Brent Elder, Syracuse University

• Michelle L. Damiani, Hartwick College

• Beth A. Ferri, Syracuse University