Institute of Education University of London Inclusion of pupils with special education needs in Sudan: Teachers' perceptions of their competence and their perceived training needs A thesis submitted to the Institute of Education University of London for the degree of PhD in School of Psychology and Human Development 2011 By: Nagi Hamza Baldo Mohamed School of Psychology and Human Development 1 ABSTRACT In Sudan, the education of children with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools shows slow progress. The traditional medical approach, whereby the majority of children with SEN are educated in segregated schools or receive no education at all, is still the dominant recourse for educating pupils with all types of disabilities that may require special needs education. This research is the pioneering attempt to explore Sudan's context of special education, and teachers' perceptions of their competencies and training needs within mainstream education in relation to inclusion of pupils with SEN. The research was carried out in Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan, where three visits were made throughout the study to collect the relevant literature and data. Following extensive literature review of teachers' competencies related to SEN, a questionnaire was developed by the researcher. It was tested and used to collect quantitative data for the study. A total of 301 completed questionnaires, out of 325 distributed, were collected from fifty basic schools with a response rate of 92.6%. This was complemented by qualitative data obtained from semi structured interviews with 20 qualified teachers, 10 teacher trainers from the Faculty of Education University of Khartoum, and 10 educational supervisors responsible for advising and assessing teachers' performance in the state. The completed research concluded that teachers are open to inclusion, however, they need training in SEN. This is a genuine situation that could add to knowledge in literature on teachers' perceptions to inclusion and children with SEN. It was found that only 12 teachers had received any in-service or pre-service training in special educational needs. The findings also revealed that most educational supervisors had little or no training in this area. Teachers' perceptions did not vary with their personal characteristics. They generally showed lack of confidence in their competencies in all the dimensions investigated except personal skills. Importantly, they expressed a need for training to identify pupils with SEN, besides the need for support and advice in practical aspects of inclusion. As a result of these findings, a number of recommendations are made to modify the existing in­ service and pre-service teachers training to include competencies related to SEN. It also recommends provision for continuing professional development and consultancy support for teachers; which in turn will help facilitate implementation of responsible inclusion. 2 DECLARATION No part of the work referred to in this thesis has been submitted in support of an application for another degree or qualification of the Institute of Education or any other institute of education. Word count (exclusive of appendices and list of references): 88200 words Nagi Hamza Baldo Mohammed 2011 3 Content Title .............................................................................................. , ............ 1 Abstract ....................................................................................................... 2 Declaration .............................................................. .................................. 3 Content ...................................................................................................... 4 Dedication ........................................................... ..... .. 14 Acknowledgement ........................................................................................ 15 Research Problem and Rationale ........................................................................ 16 i) Introduction ..................................................................................... 17 ii) The Purpose of the Study ..................................................................... 17 iii) Research Aims and Rationale ................................................................ 19 iv) Research Questions ............................................................................ 19 v) Research Approach ............................................................................ .20 vi) Significance of the Research .................................................................. 21 Introduction .................................................................................................. 23 i) Overview ........................................................................................ 24 ii) Terrninolgy ......................................................................................25 iii) The Language and Labels of Inclusion and SEN ........................................ .26 iv) Policy Borrowing .............................................................................. 28 Chapter One: Sudan's Context of SEN ............................................................... 30 1.0 Introduction .......................................................................................... 31 1.1 Sudan and a Summary of Education System .................................................... 31 1.2 The impact of war and conflict on education in Sudan ........................................ 32 1.3 Structure of General Educational System ......................................................... 34 1.4 Teacher Training ..................................................................................... 35 1.5.1 Special Educational Needs in Sudan .................... '" ......................................38 1.5.2 Legislative Framework ............................................................................ .40 4 1.5.3 Implementation of Laws and Legislations ...................................................... .43 1.5.4 The Development of SEN in Sudan .............................................................. .44 1.5.5 Objectives of SEN Provision in Sudan .......................................................... .45 1.5.6 The Strategy for SEN at the Ministry of Education .............................................. .46 1.5.7 Problems Encountered within SEN in Sudan ................................................... .46 1.5.8 The Future Role of Special Education Institution .............................................. .48 1.5.9 Factors that Hinder the Development of Special Education and the spread of its Programmes in Sudan ..................................................................... 49 1.10.1 Special Education Institutions ..................................................................... 51 1.10.2 AI-Amal Institute for Hearing Disability ......................................................... 53 1.10.3 AI-Nour Institute for Visual Disability ............................................................ 54 1.10.4 Child Welfare Centre ................................................................................ 54 1.10.5 Alsalamabi Institute for children with Speech and Hearing Disabilities ...................... 55 1.10.6 Sakina Centre for Children with Down's Syndrome ............................................. 56 1.11 SEN Department University of Khartoum ........................................................ 57 1.12 The Implementation of Inclusion Policy .......................................................... 58 1.13 The Target Group for Inclusion .................................................................... 60 1.14.1 Attempts at Inclusion by Ministry of Education ................................................. 61 1.14.2 Inclusive Schools ..................................................................................... 61 1.15 Attempts to Assess the Experience oflnclusion in Sudan ...................................... 62 1.16 Conclusion ............................................................................................ 63 Chapter Two: Special Educational Needs (lterature Review) ..................................... 65 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 65 2.2 Terminology and Definition ....................................................................... 67 2.3 Theoretical Framework .............................................................................. 68 2.3.1 Models of SEN ...................................................................................... 72 2.3.2 The Index for Inclusion ............................................................................. 74 2.4 Ways of Meeting SEN .............................................................................. 75 2.4.1 Segregation ...........................................................................................78 2.4.2 Inclusion ............................................................................................... 83 5 2.5 The Rationale for Inclusion ........................................................................ 85 2.6 Implementation of Inclusion ....................................................................... 89 2.7 Implications of Inclusion for Children and Parents ............................................. 95 2.8 Implications ofInclusion for the Character of School.