Challenges Faced by Teachers in Inclusive Classrooms in Early Childhood Education (ECE) Setting

Abstract

Early Childhood Education is the foundation of every child's development and Inclusive Education also plays an important role in children with disabilities to progress. Teachers play a crucial role in an educational setting and ensure that inclusive education is implemented smoothly. The aim of this study is to examine what are the issues and challenges that teacher faced in an inclusive Early Childhood Education (ECE) classroom setting. For this study, a qualitative method was chosen with the use of an open-ended interview session. Interview sessions with a total of 14 participants, primarily teachers who work or have experience teaching in inclusive classrooms in Early Childhood Education setting from a variety of backgrounds and locations, were conducted to provide feedback for this study. The responses from the participants of this study based on the first objective have identified a few challenges that the teachers faced. The main factors such as time consumption, lack of manpower, lack of training and knowledge as well as limited resources were identified as the main themes that emerged from the respondents. This study also made some recommendations and suggestions to address the current issues and for further studies to be done.