CHALLENGES AND PREPAREDNESS OF TEACHERS IN IMPLEMENTING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES IN THE EDUCATIONAL DISTRICT VI AREA OF LAGOS STATE.

Abstract

This study examined the challenges and preparedness of teachers in implementing inclusive
education for children with intellectual disabilities in the Educational District VI Area of
Lagos State. A descriptive survey research design was used for the study. Fifty teachers were
sampled for the study using a purposive sampling technique. One self-designed and validated
research instrument titled “Questionnaire on the Challenges and Preparedness of Teachers to
Implement Inclusive Education for Children with Intellectual Disabilities (QRPTIECID)” was
used to collect data for the study. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of
frequency counts, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The results showed that the level
of teachers’ preparedness to implement inclusive education for children with intellectual
disabilities in special schools is high. Meanwhile, the factors militating against implementing
inclusive education for children with intellectual disabilities in the Educational District VI
Area of Lagos State include: lack of adequately trained inclusive education teachers,
insufficient funding for inclusive education, lack of adequate knowledge of inclusion
implementation, the inability of teachers to change from their conventional methods of
teaching, inadequate infrastructure to support inclusive education, high cost of inclusive
education learning materials, lack of adequate preparedness for inclusive education practices,
and lack of government intervention on the issue of inclusive education. Hence, it was
recommended, among others, that the Lagos State government should allocate more funds to inclusive education to ensure adequate funding for teacher training, infrastructure
development, and provision of learning materials. In the same vein, all special education
professionals should avail themselves of the opportunities to take professional courses in
online platforms like UDEMY, Coursera, LinkedIn, edX, SkillShare, TES Institute, and
SpecialEducationResources.com, among others.