The Practices and Challenges of Inclusive Early Childhood Care and Education for Children with Hearing Impairment: The Case of Government ECCE Centers in Selected Sub Cities in Addis Ababa
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Date
2017-11
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This research examines the practice and challenges of inclusive early childhood care and
education for children with hearing impairment in Addis Ababa. It is a descriptive case study
research which aimed to assessing ECCE centers accessibility for children with hearing
impairment, the physical environments and learning/play materials, skills of teachers and
principals to accommodate children with hearing impairment and involvement of parents
inpromoting inclusive learning environment and major challenges in the practice of inclusive
ECCE in the case of threeselectedgovernment ECCE centers. Data were collected
usingstructured andsemi structured interviews and also conducted for fifteenparents of children
with hearing impairment, threeschool principals and for three Woreda education offices ECCE
experts. Finally observation was also conducted. The research conducted using a qualitative
research paradigm aligns with case study. For detail scrutiny, qualitative data were analyzed
according to its specific nature throughusing multiple data collection methods and thematic data
analysis to enrich the findings. Rich tick description was accomplished by describing in detail
about the practice and challenges of inclusive education. Findings showed that, the school
community had a well coming environment for children with hearing impairment. On the other
hand the research revealed challenges of preschools inclusion practices such as, poor
accessibility, inadequate accommodation and modification, poor Sign language skills among
teachers, the inclusive ECCEs were also below the standard of preschool are some of the
challenges. Recommendations were made towards achieving better practices of inclusive
preschool education improving the existing negligible inclusive preschool services like; Sign
Language skills, classroom accommodation, and basic knowledge of inclusive
preschooleducation and simple curriculum adaptation.
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Keywords
Challenges of Inclusive Early Childhood