Inclusion for Students with Hearing Impairemetns in Elementary Schools: Teachers’ Perceptions

Abstract

The inclusion of students in inclusive schools has been a concern in many countries as they move towards inclusive education.  This study aimed to explore teachers perspectives of current state of inclusion of elementary students (6-12 years) who are deaf or hard of hearing and gained insights into the nature of challenges to full participation. A quantitative approach, encompassing questionnaires was utilised to collect data from teachers. The participants included 66 teachers from Riyadh and 82 teachers from Jazan who completed a 31-item questionnaire. A framework analysis of the data identified that the participants did not fully understand inclusive education, inclusive teaching and full participation. The participants referred to inclusion as integration and inclusive teaching as active teaching approaches. Implications and recommendations are discussed.