INCLUSIVE EDUCATION and STUDENTS with INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES (Ids) in the STATE of KUWAIT: ARE WE READY? by HAWAA ALSHEMARI
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INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AND STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES (IDs) IN THE STATE OF KUWAIT: ARE WE READY? By HAWAA ALSHEMARI A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY Department of Teaching and Learning MAY 2016 © Copyright by HAWAA ALSHEMARI, 2016 All Rights Reserved © Copyright by HAWAA ALSHEMARI, 2016 All Rights Reserved To the Faculty of Washington State University: The members of the Committee appointed to examine the dissertation of HAWAA ALSHEMARI find it satisfactory and recommend that it be accepted. ___________________________________ Darcy Miller, Ph.D., Chair ___________________________________ Susan Rae Banks, Ph.D. ___________________ ________________ Michael Dunn, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Brenda Barrio, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Richard Lamb, Ph.D. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENT I thank Allah for his grace and mercy upon me, providing me with faith, energy, and support to undertake this journey. I am profoundly thankful to the gift of Allah, my son Salim for being in my life, as he has been the inspiration and motivation of my journey toward helping people with disabilities. I am extremely grateful to my best friend, my oldest son Ghanem for his understanding, patience, and support. I am so fortunate to have him in my life. I would also like to acknowledge my supervisor, Dr. Darcy Miller and my committee members for their scholarly comments, support and encouragement. Thank you for your guidance and trust in completing this study. Finally, my appreciation is for my precious friend, Mary Kaye for her support and unconditional love. iii INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AND STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES (IDs) IN THE STATE OF KUWAIT: ARE WE READY? Abstract by Hawaa Alshemari, Ph. D. Washington State University May 2016 Chair: Darcy Miller Policies regarding inclusion that have been adopted by Kuwait emphasize the rights of individuals with disabilities to be integrated into society and learn beside students without disabilities (Al-Kandari & Salih, 2008). Of particular concern in this study was the lack of research regarding the topic of inclusive education in the State of Kuwait. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate special education pre-service teachers’ preparedness for inclusive education in Kuwait. The research question that guided this study concerned Kuwaiti special education preservice teachers’ perceptions of the inclusion of students with Intellectual Disabilities and was explored through the administration of a survey and conducting interviews. The data were collected from special education pre-service teachers specializing in Intellectual Disabilities in the College of Basic Education in the State of Kuwait. One hundred ten special education pre-service teachers completed the survey and ten special education pre-service teachers were interviewed in order to explore their: a) attitudes toward students with Intellectual Disabilities, b) attitudes toward inclusive education, and, c) level of confidence about teaching students with Intellectual Disabilities in inclusive settings. The study involved the examination of predictor variables on attitudes and confidence. The study also explored the type of training about inclusion that was desired by the special education pre-service teachers. The associated iv factors (teacher, student, and environment factors) for successful inclusion for students with Intellectual Disabilities were examined. The results indicate that the special education pre- service teachers had a conditional positive attitude toward students with Intellectual Disabilities and inclusive education. The pre-service teachers’ level of confidence regarding teaching students with Intellectual Disabilities was also conditional, depending on the support and resources that would be available. Implications for improving teacher education and training programs, social awareness, and human and physical support are included. Based on the results, several recommendations for practice and future research are suggested. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................. iv-v LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................... xiii LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... xv DEDECATION ........................................................................................................................... xvi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 Rationale of the Study ..............................................................................................3 Significance of the Study .........................................................................................3 Limitations ...............................................................................................................4 Definition of Terms..................................................................................................4 Intellectual disability ...................................................................................4 Inclusion ......................................................................................................5 Attitude .......................................................................................................5 Self-efficacy ................................................................................................5 The State of Kuwait ....................................................................................5 Researcher’s Positionality .......................................................................................5 2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ....................................................................................6 Terminology and Intellectual Disabilities ................................................................6 vi Inclusive Education ..................................................................................................7 Education as a human right .........................................................................7 Terminology and inclusion .........................................................................8 The basis for inclusive education ................................................................9 Philosophical foundations .............................................................10 Legal foundations ..........................................................................11 Ethical foundations .......................................................................13 Benefits .....................................................................................................13 Research outcomes for students with disabilities .........................13 Research outcomes for students without disabilities ....................17 Challenges .................................................................................................20 Teachers’ attitudes and aptitudes toward students with disabilities ........................................................................................................20 Teachers’ collaboration and cooperation skills .............................21 The characteristics of the disability ..............................................22 Implementation and delivery of services ......................................23 Teachers’ Attitudes ...............................................................................................24 General and special education teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion .........24 General and special education teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion students with IDs .....................................................................................................27 Teachers’ Self-efficacy ..........................................................................................31 Recurrent Themes about Inclusion ........................................................................33 Professional training and staff development .............................................34 vii Adaptations and alternatives .....................................................................34 Collaboration among general education and special education teachers ..35 Severity of the disability ...........................................................................35 Class size ...................................................................................................36 Cultural Aspects of Inclusion Across Countries ....................................................36 Inclusion in the Middle East .....................................................................37 Policies ..........................................................................................37 Practices ........................................................................................38 Challenges .....................................................................................39 Inclusion in the European Union ..............................................................40 Policies ..........................................................................................40