The Educational Condition of Students with Disabilities in Integrated Class Rooms; the Case of Preparatory Schools in Addis Ababa
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Date
2007-07
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Addis Ababauniversity
Abstract
Students with disabilities have the legislative right for education in the least
restrictive environment and they have the right to be equally treated as the
non disabled students. These students have the potential to be equally
successful if they are taught in manners that decrease the effect of their
disabilities on their education. Because of the impact of their disabilities on
their education, only a few are privileged to join the preparatory schools.
However, these students face many problems. The objective of this thesis is
to examine these problems and give comments on how to solve them. For
this purpose, the researcher selected three preparatory schools from region
14 where these disabled students are learning 44 disabled students, 7
physically impaired, 2 hearing impaired and 38 visually impaired were
selected to examine the educational problems they face and promote special
needs education. The number of the disabled students was manageable,
hence available sampling technique was employed. The disabled students ,
were the main data sources of the research. Teachers of these students, the
principals, guidance and counselors, the librarians of the three schools and
an expert in special needs education of region 14 education bureau were
supplementary sources of data. The instruments of data collection used
were likert type questionnaires for the disabled students and for the
teachers, unstructured interview for the principals, guidance and
counselors, librarians and the expert. Seven research questions were asked
as a guide in the examination of the problems. Based on these research
question data were collected. The examination of the data revealed the
following results.
• Teachers' inefficiency to identify the needs of the disabled students,
select and use the appropriate method of teaching.
• The absence of material provision by the responsible authorities.
• The inappropriateness of the architecture of the buildings and the
physical environments.
• The inefficiency of guidance and counseling services
• Lack of skills in how to make friends by the disabled students.
• It is also found out that teachers are positive toward mainstreaming
disabled students, except that they lack the necessary knowledge in
teaching people with special needs. In spite of all these problems
most disabled students perform very well which might be attributed
to their own effort.
Finally it is concluded that disabled students face many educational
problems which should be given due attention by the government,
principals, teachers and guidance and counselors. Recommendations are
then given by the researcher which might help in alleviating the educational
problems of the disabled students learning in the preparatory schools of
Addis Ababa
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Case of Preparatory Schools