General Education Teachers’ Perceptions About Supporting Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Classrooms in The Uae Schools

Abstract

The purpose of this research study was to explore general education teachers’ perceptions in relation to the inclusion of students with special needs in the UAE and their views about the collaboration with special education teachers in the identification and education with students with special needs in inclusive classrooms, and their perceptions related to improving inclusive education practices and support for students with special needs. The study participants comprised a total of 400 randomly selected general education teachers from public schools in all UAE emirates. The participants responded to a survey that consisted of 24 items about screening, referral, and collaboration with other stakeholders. The research project utilized a mixed-methods research design. The results of the study showed that teachers’ perceptions in relation to referral, screening, and collaboration were high. To explore the effect of the demographic variables such as teachers’ experience, subject, and qualification, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted. The main effect of teacher’s specialization was statistically significant, and the main effect of experience was also statistically significant. Also, the researchers conducted semi-structured focus group discussions with eight groups of general education teachers and special education teachers from different regions in the country. The qualitative analysis revealed some important themes such as methods to identify struggling learners, the process of referring students to special education, cooperation between special education teachers and general education teachers, the important role of the shadow teacher in the inclusive classroom, and the integration of students with severe disabilities in inclusive classrooms.