Gana'da Erken Bakım Hizmeti Alan Yetersizliği Olan Çocuklar

Öz

Bu araştırma Gana'nın devlet okulu sınıflarında 4-8 yaş aralığındaki yetersizliği olan çocuklarla çalışan öğretmenlerin tecrübelerini incelemektedir. Ayrıca öğrencilerin özel durumlarıyla başa çıkmada yardımcı olmak için kullanılan yönetim stratejileri incelenmiştir. Beş araştırmacıdan oluşan bir ekip özel gereksinimli çocukları eğitmekte olan 68 öğretmen ile görüşmeler gerçekleştirmiştir. Sonuçlar, öğretmenlerin çoğunluğunun özel gereksinimli çocukların sınıflarında kaynaştırma eğitimine katılmasını desteklediğini fakat gerektiği gibi bir eğitim için uygun kaynakların yetersizliği konusunda endişeli olduklarını ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca katılımcılar özel gereksinimli çocukların yaklaşık %60'ının grup çalışmalarına katılmak istemediklerini belirtmişlerdir. Öğretmenler için en çok zorlanılan konular bazı öğrencilerin basit yönergeleri takip etmelerini sağlamakta ve ebeveynleri özel gereksinimli çocuklarının eğitimlerine katmakta yaşadıkları zorluklar olarak ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu çalışma Gana'daki okullarda ebeveynlerin katılımını destekleyecek ebeveyn-öğretmen işbirliklerinin oluşturulmasını tavsiye etmektedir. Ayrıca bu araştırma Gana'daki sınıflarda çalışmakta olan öğretmenlere yardımcı olacak özel eğitim öğretmenlerinin, hemşirelerin ve sosyal çalışmacıların görevlendirilmesini önermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Erken bakım, kaynaştırma, Gana, özel gereksinim, hikâyeci analiz.

Children with Disabilities in Early Care in Ghana

Abstract

This study examined the experiences of teachers who teach 4- to 8-year-old children with special needs in Ghanaian public school classrooms. Also examined were the management strategies put in place to assist the children in dealing with their unique situations. A team of five researchers interviewed 68 teachers who teach children with special needs. Results indicate that a majority of the teachers support inclusion of children with special needs in their classrooms but were concerned about the lack of appropriate resources for proper instruction. In addition, participants indicated that about 60% of children with special needs did not want to participate in group work. The most challenging issues for the teachers involve difficulty getting some of the children to follow basic instructions and also getting parents to participate in the education of their children with special needs. This study recommends parent-teacher associations advocating for the participation of parents in schools in Ghana. The study additionally recommends employing special education teachers, nurses, and social workers to assist teachers in Ghanaian classrooms.

Keywords

• Early care
• inclusion
• Ghana
• special needs
• narrative analysis.

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