| Abstract [eng] |
Relevance and problem of the study. Inclusive education is important to ensure the participation of all children in the educational process, and there is a lack of research on how educators ensure the participation of pre-school children in inclusive education. The aim of this study is to examine the experiences of educators in ensuring the participation of pre-school children in inclusive education. Objectives of the empirical study: 1. To use qualitative research (interviews) in order to reveal teachers' perceptions of inclusive education and their attitude towards the participation of pre-school children in inclusive education. 2. To reveal the ways and methods used by teachers to promote the participation of preschool children in inclusive education by examining their experiences. 3. To reveal the benefits of preschool children's participation in inclusive education for their abilities, based on the educators' views. 4. To reveal successful experiences of educators in promoting inclusive education for pre-school children and the challenges faced in educating children with different abilities, through qualitative content analysis. Research methods, sample. Research methods: theoretical analysis, semi-structured qualitative interviews, qualitative content analysis. The study involved 10 pre-school teachers with experience of educating children with special educational needs in mainstream pre-schools. Conclusions of the empirical study. 1. Participants of the study have different perceptions of inclusive education: as education for children with special educational needs and for children who have different abilities. Participants in the study welcome the participation of pre-school children with special educational needs in inclusive education, but state that inclusive education is not suitable for all children with special educational needs. 2. The approaches and methods used by pre-school teachers, to ensure the participation of pre-school children in inclusive education: individualization; personalization; universal design for learning; active learning methods. 3. Participation in inclusive education has been found to have a positive impact not only on the social skills of children with special educational needs, but also on those of children with normal development. Children with special educational needs acquire social skills in communication, cooperation, conflict resolution, etc., and improve their academic skills. Children with neurotypical development become more empathetic and tolerant. 4. Teachers face difficulties in educating children in inclusive education. Nevertheless, pre-school teachers manage to include children with special educational needs in educational activities by applying certain techniques and by cooperating with their parents and colleagues. Keywords: inclusive education, participation. |
