Home⇛Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal⇛vol. 37 no. 10 (2025)

A Journey of Thousand Miles Begins with One Step: Implementing Inclusive Education in Receiving Schools as Experienced by General Education Teachers

Rica Andrea Rubillar

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

Inclusive education remained a central goal of educational systems globally, yet its implementation posed considerable challenges, particularly in developing contexts. This study explored the lived experiences of general education teachers in implementing inclusive education in a receiving school in the Mati City Division, Davao Oriental, Philippines. Grounded in Contingency Theory and employing a qualitative phenomenological research design, the study aimed to understand how teachers navigated the problems and issues of inclusive education. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with nine purposively selected general education teachers. The researcher used Colaizzi’s (1978) seven-step method guided the data analysis, allowing for the identification of essential themes and a rich interpretation of participants’ experiences. Findings revealed two major thematic areas: challenges in the external and internal environments of the school. External challenges included lack of funding and equipment, social stigma, limited instructional materials, uncooperative parents, and parental misconceptions. Internal challenges comprised time constraints, insufficient teacher training, student behavior issues, subject-specific difficulties, and the absence of Special Education (SPED) teachers. Participants emphasized the need for targeted interventions, such as continuous advocacy for SPED teacher deployment, strengthened parent-teacher collaboration, the establishment of inclusive education programs, and the creation of individualized learning plans. This study underscored the pressing need for systemic and localized support to make inclusive education more feasible and effective. By highlighting the real-world struggles and proactive insights of teachers, the findings contributed to policy development and practical strategies for inclusive education in similar contexts.



References:

  1. Alam, A., & Mohanty, A. (2023). Cultural beliefs and equity in educational institutions: exploring the social and philosophical notions of ability groupings in teaching and learning mathematics. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2023.2270662
  2. Babik, I., & Gardner, E. S. (2021). Factors Affecting the Perception of Disability: A Developmental Perspective. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 702166. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.702166
  3. Barnard, R.W. & Henn, R.H. (2023) Overcoming Learning Obstacles: Strategies for Supporting Students with Diverse Needs. Open Access Library Journal, 10, 1-14. doi: 10.4236/oalib.1110509.
  4. Bibiana, R. I., Madrine, K., Eric, W., & Simon, T. (2020). Policy strategies for effective implementation of inclusive education in Kenya. In International Journal of Educational Administration and Policy Studies (Vol. 12, Issue 1, pp. 28–42). Academic Journals. https://doi.org/10.5897/ijeaps2019.0622
  5. Bibiana, R. I., Madrine, K., Eric, W., & Simon, T. (2020). Policy strategies for effective implementation of inclusive education in Kenya. In International Journal of Educational Administration and Policy Studies (Vol. 12, Issue 1, pp. 28–42). Academic Journals. https://doi.org/10.5897/ijeaps2019.0622
  6. Boitumelo, M., Kuyini, A. B., & Major, T. E. (2020). Experiences of General Secondary Education Teachers in Inclusive Classrooms: Implications for Sustaining Inclusive Education in Botswana. International Journal of Whole Schooling, 16(1), 1-34.
  7. Byrd, D. R., & Alexander, M. (2020). Investigating special education teachers knowledge and skills: Preparing general teacher preparation for professional development. In Journal of Pedagogical Research (Vol. 4, Issue 2, pp. 72–82). https://doi.org/10.33902/jpr.2020059790
  8. Capretta, T. J., Zhang, J. (Max), & Boone, B. J. (2024). School and family partnership can reduce chronic absenteeism. Phi Delta Kappan, 106(3), 13-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/00317217241295424
  9. Chuene, D. M., & Teane, F. M. (2024). Resource inadequacy as a barrier to effective curriculum implementation by life sciences teachers in South Africa. In South African Journal of Education (Vol. 44, Issue 2, pp. 1–10). Education Association of South Africa. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v44n2a2387
  10. Colaizzi, P. (1978). Psychological research as a phenomenologist views it. In: Valle, R. S. & King, M. (1978). Existential Phenomenological Alternatives for Psychology. Open University Press: New York.
  11. Creswell, (2014). Research design: Qualitative and quantitative and mixedmethod Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
  12. Crispel, O., & Kasperski, R. (2019). The impact of teacher training in special education on the implementation of inclusion in mainstream classrooms. In International Journal of Inclusive Education (Vol. 25, Issue 9, pp. 1079–1090). Informa UK Limited. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2019.1600590
  13. Crowe, S., Cresswell, K., Robertson, A., Huby, G., Avery, A., & Sheikh, A. (2011). The case study approach. In BMC Medical Research Methodology (Vol. 11, Issue 1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-11-100
  14. Cuadra, L. J., Aure, Ma. R. K. L., & Gonzaga, G. L. (2019). The Use of Tracer Study in Improving Undergraduate Programs in the University. In Asia Pacific Higher Education Research Journal (APHERJ) (Vol. 6, Issue 1). Philippine Normal University. https://doi.org/10.56278/apherj.v6i1.1315
  15. Dalcin, A. K. (2022). Learning together: the effects of inclusion of students with disabilities in mainstream schools. In EconomiA (Vol. 23, Issue 1, pp. 1–24). Emerald. https://doi.org/10.1108/econ-05-2022-0005
  16. DeMatthews, D. E., Serafini, A., & Watson, T. N. (2021). Leading inclusive schools: Principal perceptions, practices, and challenges to meaningful change. Educational Administration Quarterly, 57(1), 3-48.
  17. Dewi, A. E. R. (2024). Effectiveness of Implementing Inclusive Education: Challenges and Opportunities in Culturally Diverse Classrooms. In Journal of Pedagogi (Vol. 1, Issue 3, pp. 1–7). PT. Anagata Sembagi Education. https://doi.org/10.62872/k2k0zs91
  18. Eden, C. & Onyebuchi, N. & Adeniyi, I. (2024). Cultural Competence In Education: Strategies For Fostering Inclusivity And Diversity Awareness. International Journal of Applied Research in Social Sciences. 6. 383-392. 10.51594/ijarss.v6i3.895.
  19. Fiedler, F. (1964). A Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 149-190). New York: Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60051-9
  20. Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (2003). How to design and evaluate research in education (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
  21. Germain, E., Hernández, L. E., Klevan, S., Levine, R., & Maier, A. (2024). Reducing chronic absenteeism: Lessons from community schools. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/510.597
  22. Glesne, C. (1999). Becoming qualitative researchers: An introduction (2nd ed.). Don Mills, Ontario, Canada: Longman
  23. Grecu, Y. V. (2023). Differentiated instruction: Curriculum and resources provide a roadmap to help English teachers meet students’ needs. In Teaching and Teacher Education (Vol. 125, p. 104064). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104064
  24. Gunawardena, M., Bishop, P. & Aviruppola, K. (2024). Personalized learning: The simple, the complicated, the complex and the chaotic. Teaching and Teacher Education. 139. 104429. 10.1016/j.tate.2023.104429.
  25. Hasani, A. (2019). Developing a framework for a qualitative semi-structured interview guide. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72(12), 2954-2965. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13031
  26. Kazmi, A. B., Kamran, M., & Siddiqui, S. (2023). The effect of teachers’ attitudes in supporting inclusive education by catering to diverse learners. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 8). Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1083963
  27. Kilag, O. K. T., Uy, F. T., Gier, R. A., Cabaluna, M. F. R., Canonigo, K., Seblos, K. M., & Doroy, E. G. (2024). Inclusive Education: A Systematic Review of Special Education in the Philippines. Risejournals.Org. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.12605694
  28. Kumar, A. (2021). Issues and challenges related to preparing teachers for inclusive schools in India. International Journal of Innovative Research Explorer.
  29. Kwan, C., Gitimoghaddam, M., & Collet, J. P. (2020). Effects of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: A Scoping Review. Brain sciences, 10(11), 786. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10110786
  30. Larios, R. J., & Zetlin, A. (2023). Challenges to prepare teachers to instruct all students in inclusive classrooms. In Teaching and Teacher Education (Vol. 121, p. 103945). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103945
  31. Lawrence, Paul & Lorsch, Jay. (1967). Differentiation and Integration in Complex Organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly. 12. 1-47. 10.2307/2391211.
  32. Li, W., Yang, Y., Liu, Z.H., et al. (2020) Progression of Mental Health Services during the COVID-19 Outbreak in China. International Journal of Biological Sciences, 16, 1732-1738. https://doi.org/10.7150/ijbs.45120
  33. Lindner, K.-T., & Schwab, S. (2020). Differentiation and individualisation in inclusive education: a systematic review and narrative synthesis. In International Journal of Inclusive Education (pp. 1–21). Informa UK Limited. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2020.1813450
  34. Lindner, K.-T., Schwab, S., Emara, M., & Avramidis, E. (2023). Do teachers favor the inclusion of all students? A systematic review of primary schoolteachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education. In European Journal of Special Needs Education (Vol. 38, Issue 6, pp. 766–787). Informa UK Limited. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2023.2172894
  35. Magallanes, K., Chung, J. Y., & Lee, S. (2022). The Philippine Teachers Concerns on Educational Reform Using Concern Based Adoption Model. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 7). Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.763991
  36. Major, E. (2023). Parent-Teacher Communication from the Perspective of the Educator. In Central European Journal of Educational Research (Vol. 5, Issue 2). University of Debrecen/ Debreceni Egyetem. https://doi.org/10.37441/cejer/2023/5/2/13281
  37. Marvi, K. (2023) Impact of Cultural Diversity in Classrooms of Secondary Schools. Creative Education, 14, 197-211. doi: 10.4236/ce.2023.141014.
  38. Massouti, A. (2021). Pre-service teachers’ perspectives on their preparation for inclusive teaching: Implications for organizational change in teacher education. The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2021.1.10611
  39. Mendiola, A. C., & Estonanto, A. J. J. (2022). Utilization of Instructional Materials Developed by the Mathematics Teachers in the Province of Sorsogon, Philippines. In Asian Journal of Education and e-Learning (Vol. 10, Issue 3). Asian Online Journals. https://doi.org/10.24203/ajeel.v10i3.7045
  40. Miña, A. (2024). The Lived Experiences of Special Education Teachers in Teaching Inclusive Education. Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.12731335
  41. Molina, R., S., Marauri, J., Aubert, A., & Flecha, R. (2021). How Inclusive Interactive Learning Environments Benefit Students Without Special Needs. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 661427. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.661427
  42. Paccaud, A., Keller, R., Luder, R., Pastore, G., & Kunz, A. (2021). Satisfaction With the Collaboration Between Families and Schools – The Parent’s View. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 6). Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.646878
  43. Padgett, D. K. (2012). Qualitative Social Work Research. In The SAGE Handbook of Social Work (pp. 454–466). SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446247648.n30
  44. Roberts, R. E. (2020). Qualitative interview questions: Guidance for novice researchers. The Qualitative Report, 25(9), 3185-3203.
  45. Sonnenschein, S., Stites, M. L., Grossman, J. A., & Galczyk, S. H. (2022). “This will likely affect his entire life”: Parents’ views of special education services during COVID-19. International journal of educational research, 112, 101941. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2022.101941
  46. Vlachou, A., Kalaitzi, S., Tsermidou, L., Toulia, A., Papazoglou, T., Fyssa, A., & Papazis, F. (2023, January). Organizational preparedness domains and indicators of educational organizations for students with disabilities in pandemic times: A scoping review. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 7, p. 1029163). Frontiers Media SA.
  47. Woodcock, S., Sharma, U., Subban, P., & Hitches, E. (2022). Teacher self-efficacy and inclusive education practices: Rethinking teachers’ engagement with inclusive practices. In Teaching and Teacher Education (Vol. 117, p. 103802). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103802
  48. Woodward, J., (1958): Management and Technology. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office 

Tools


Copyright © 2025  KITE Digital Educational Solutions |  Exclusively distributed by CE-Logic