Quality Management of Inclusive Schools: A Case Study in a City in Lampung Province on the Indonesian Island of Sumatra

Abstract

It is widely recognized in the literature that inclusive education allows school children with special needs to learn in the same setting as other students, promoting a culture of respect for individual differences and ensuring each child has the resources they need. However, to the best of our knowledge, the literature has not frequently discussed inclusive school management, particularly quality management, in the Indonesian setting. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate inclusive school quality management in Indonesia. This study is quantitative in nature using a questionnaire for data collection among 45 participants, including six principals, 34 regular teachers, and five special guidance teachers coming from inclusive elementary schools in Metro City, Lampung Province on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. It is clear from the findings that the inclusive school quality management in the context under study is of good category, but a sizable portion of the participants also indicated that the school management is still deficient, falling into both sufficient and poor category. Therefore, more stakeholders, such as the community, government, and private parties, should collaborate to improve the management. Following the findings, implications and suggestions for future research are also discussed.