The Alacrity of Preschool Education Teachers to Work with Children in Inclusive Groups

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the readiness of educators of preschool education institutions in Kyiv to work in inclusive classrooms. The parameters of the research are taken into accounts, such as attitude to the idea of inclusion, possession of the necessary arsenal of pedagogical practices, understanding of barriers and ways to overcome them on the way to the organization of inclusive education. The results of the study showed that a significant number of educators have a negative attitude to the idea of inclusion, believing that children should study in special groups or in special institutions (but not boarding schools). The question of the determinants of educators' attitudes towards inclusive education, which are related to their work experience, seems to be important. The results showed that most respondents have 20-30 years of experience working with preschoolers in general developmental groups. The picture of educators of inclusive groups differs sharply: among them, 42% of people have work experience of up to 5 years. This trend may speak in favour of the ability to learn, interest in changes in education, a sense of potential and professional resources to work in more difficult conditions. Educators with 30 years of experience or more are wary of this choice. Only 8.9% of them found their interest in working with children with special educational needs.