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South African Journal of Education, Volume 37, Number 2, May 2017 1
Art. # 1267, 10 pages, doi: 10.15700/saje.v37n2a1267
Inclusive values in the planning of Mathematical issues at an early age
Veselin Mićanović, Tatjana Novović and Biljana Maslovarić
Faculty of Philosophy, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro
vele-nk@t-com.me
In accordance with the general principles of the present inclusion in advanced education systems, which are based on the
support of children with special educational needs and their inclusion in regular teaching process along with their peers,
inclusive values are gradually becoming a reality in the Montenegrin educational process. The paper aims to show the
importance of inclusive teaching of mathematics as a starting resource for planning and implementation of mathematical
concepts at an early age, which is of great importance for the development of intellectual and other abilities of a child.
Research was conducted in preschool institutions in Montenegro. The most significant parameters related to the respondents
were their level of education and years of teaching experience and working with children with special education needs,
which serve as indicator of understanding of inclusive values in the educational process at an early age. Respondents
expressed problems in practice and proposed measures to overcome them. To provide reliable and objective results, the
research covers a representative sample of 550 respondents.
Keywords: child with special needs; development at the early age; inclusive value; kindergarten teacher; mathematical
terms and issues; planning and realisation
Introduction
Consistent with the tendencies of development of inclusive education in the developed countries of the world,
Montenegro is also facing challenges in this area while striving for more efficient strategies for the purpose of
continuous improvement of the educational system and ensuring a democratic environment in which difference
and diversity work in synergy. These challenges are related to the training of teachers to work with children with
special needs, adapting curriculum to their abilities, adapting physical environment to suit their stay, expansion
of inclusive awareness in the society, and creating a legal foundation of inclusive education at all age levels.
Montenegrin educational system accepts inclusive education as one of the guiding principles of modern
education systems and on this basis to improve teaching practice. It is clear how important implementation of
the guiding principle is for crucial aspects of the successful preparation of all stakeholders. Striving for more
efficient model of inclusive education and its harmonisation with the developed world standards, one of the
necessary preconditions is the training of teachers for the full implementation of these objectives. The
importance of Mathematics at an early age is crucial. Intense physical and mental development at an early age
greatly contributes to the future development of the cognitive abilities of a personality. This age is characterised
by spontaneity and naturalness as common features. Regardless of individual differences, children are prepared
to communicate with each other, and seek out common interests through the games, which have educational
character. Montenegro has accepted the inclusion as the set of basic principles of educational work. It is to
“contribute to the development of children by providing the conditions and incentives for the development of
their skills and personality traits that enrich their experience and build knowledge about themselves and other
people in the world” (Milić, 2010:56–57). According to this principle, children with special needs belong to
their generation and have the right to be included in the regular programme of work from an early age.
Economically speaking, the concept of inclusive education has its justification. It takes much less material
resources to invest in inclusive education than is required in the system of separate specialised institutions.
Children with special needs are included in regular educational process in the local community where they live.
The mere fact that children with disabilities are not separated from their families and placed in special homes,
that there is no organisation of special classes, and that children are not treated in isolation from peers provide
enormous economic benefits for the concept of inclusive education. If we add the future of the children who are,
from the earliest days, included in the peer group, it becomes clear how much everyone benefits from the
integration process. Being a member of the group of peers, a child with special needs goes through the easiest
and fastest adoption of the processes of numerous mathematical concepts from the environment. In
communication with peers, through playing games, they acquire the concepts of spatial relations, size of objects
and spatial dimensions, sets, numbers, temporal relations, etc. For all these to be acquired in isolated and special
context, it would be necessary to invest much more physical, human, educational and other resources, and the
effects would probably be much smaller.
Along with a more profound and fundamental scientific understanding and appreciation of developmental
specificity of children/students in modern pedagogical and psychological theory and practice, certain tendencies
in changing the perspective from which we deal with the problems of education in the broadest sense, tend to
occur simultaneously:
2 Mićanović, Novović, Maslovarić
• Tendency towards a holistic approach - shifting the
focus from the difficulties that the child has to his or
her personality in general, where every child with a
disability is seen as a particularly unique being,
while organic and functional impairment are
recognised to be the part the child’s personality as a
whole (Hrnjica, 2009);
• Tendency to appreciate diversity, i.e. accepting
challenge as a natural diversity not as a problem;
• Tendency towards the ecological approach - shifting
the focus of interest from the perception of the child
as a problem to the overcoming of barriers that the
child encounters in different spheres of life (family,
educational institutions etc.) (Žikić, 2008: 41).
The Inclusion of the Disabled Children in the
Educational System in Montenegro
Initial teaching of basic mathematic terms is an
integral part of the current educational curriculum
in Montenegro, and represents a set of specific
topics and goals, developed in accordance with the
capabilities of the children. Therefore, it is of
special importance to pay attention to the method,
procedure and efficiency of transferring the under-
lying objectives in this area to children. Applying
differentiated methodological procedures and in-
dividualised approach in working with children,
kindergarten teachers allow for the accessibility of
content in mathematics to the whole group, which
includes those who need additional support.
Milić has noted that “…in modern
pedagogical and psychological theory and teaching
practices the presence of a demand for individually
tailored learning process is evident” (trans.) (2002:
27). Of course, adjusting and leveling mathematic
terms for all children implies the differentiation of
requirements within the existing curriculum, not
the exclusion of children with special needs
(children with physical, mental and sensory
disabilities and children with combined disabilities)
in a special group gathered around another
programme (Mićanović, 2012). This also means
that it is possible to layer and adapt current
educational objectives and contents to the
capabilities of different children, and create
individual education plans, if necessary, even
within a common national curriculum.
Ilić-Stošović has meanwhile noted that “[t]he
development and construction of individual train-
ing programs [sic] for each segment of teaching in
which the child participates allows harmonious
development of the child, according to their
ability” (2011:72). Inclusion of children with spe-
cial needs in the educational process is functional
only if there exist respect and affirmation of their
potentials – not inabilities – and if they are integral
part of the group/community. It is often evident
that that these children suffer from the lack of
sufficient attention, and as a result there are many
activities lacking which, objectively speaking,
might be able to be implemented (Šakotić,
2009:14).
The role of the kindergarten teachers is to
apply and vary appropriate methodological pro-
cedures, so that he or she could adjust the contents
to the diversity of the classroom community. In
such a climate within a group, the children stay in
the classroom with their peers all the time, and the
kindergarten teacher assesses whether it is ne-
cessary and to what extent it is necessary to
individualise requirements. However, in a situation
where they cannot follow the goals of the
programme and actively take part in a class
activity, the kindergarten teacher must indivi-
dualise activities and differentiate requirements in
accordance with the differing potential amongst
individual children. Daniels and Stafford have
noted that “it is extremely important that these
children are placed in the correct position”, and that
one takes care of the regular and careful change in
activities, in order to have them concentrated on the
work (2002:241).
In the process of a child-centered teaching,
individualised learning is of the greatest import-
ance, while teacher’s thoughtful planning guaran-
tees that each child can participate in regular
activities (Rothschild & Daniels, 2002:14). This
approach involves teaching children according to a
completely different approach from that of the
traditional teacher (Slunjski, 2006:29).
A methodical approach to the activities aimed
at the development of functional thinking of
children of a certain age should be based on the
real possibilities that these children possess. Taking
into consideration their real possibilities we plan
and create activities, which contribute to their
comprehensive cognitive development. Learning
for children is motivated from within, often
provoked by a cognitive conflict (Ćebić, 2010:22;
Meintjes & Grosser, 2010). In such activities,
specific exercises that develop the coordination of
mental and physical (moving) sphere should be
inevitable. So the children of early age behave like
explorers, they frequently ask questions, putting
together the parts of the exercise and discovering
new things, having all forms of intellectual
activities represented in such processes. Finding
practical solutions to numerous problem situations
ensure the development of functional thinking,
which can be manifested in many ways, but the key
to success is the involvement of mental power, in
its fullness (Green, Condy & Chigona, 2012).
Activities that directly promote the develop-
ment of functional thinking should be implemented
not only in kindergarten, but also in the family. The
need for such activities is based on modern
concepts of a more complete development of
personality. This is not a matter of a forceful, linear
hastening of the development process (accelera-
tion), but providing/enriching conditions to en-
courage integrated development (amplification).
Children at an early age should be given more
South African Journal of Education, Volume 37, Number 2, May 2017 3
attention, and educators should put them in as
many activities in which they would manipulate
various play materials through exchanges with
peers and adults (Rossouw, 2009). By posing
different types of questions to students, teachers
and parents provoke different levels of thinking
(Steel & Temple, 2000:85). These are good strat-
egies, methods and procedures at an early age, by
which children learn the proper skills to establish
connections and relationships between components
in a problem situation, that is when they develop
functional thinking abilities. Specifically, in the
process of development of functional thinking,
beside the formation of certain thinking “tech-
niques” (viz. the ability to master fixed operations
and procedures), children need to be enabled to
discover new connections and general prac-
tices/procedures that enable solving new problem
situations and learning new skills and knowledge.
Failure to resolve problem situations is caused by
the chosen strategy/procedure of perceiving
challenges. Kostić, in his Cognitive Psychology,
singled out the most important factors for the
successful resolution of problems: functional fixity,
that is concentration on a single function of the
object, the (in)ability to analyse a situation from
another perspective, the impact of cognitive orien-
tation, and the neglect of essential elements of the
problem (Kostić, 2010:398). According to Havelka
(2008:38), external expression of progress in
building concepts becomes apparent in a gradual
improving of problem-solving abilities.
Therefore, supporting the progress of the child
with special needs in the initial teaching of
mathematics ought to be based on the willingness
of kindergarten teachers to:
• accept and support a child with special needs in
their group;
• plan and implement individualised activities in the
educational process in an appropriate manner,
taking into account the needs and interests of each
child to the extent possible;
• continuously support children with special needs to
develop their maximum potential;
• continuously cooperate with parents and team for
monitoring and support of the children with special
needs;
• encourage the social affirmation of children with
special needs in the classroom;
• set clear and realistic goals derived from a common
curriculum in the field of mathematics; and
• evaluate their contribution to the progress of the
children with special needs.
Children with special educational needs in the
education system of Montenegro are included in
the regular activities, so as to develop their math-
ematical skills by solving adapted problems.
Markov has noted that the truth is that our society
was dominated by the prejudices about persons
with special educational needs, completely
ignoring such persons for such a long time.
(2008:149–150).
Methodological Concept of the Research
In the course of our research on inclusive values in
the planning of mathematical activities at an early
age, we focused on educators from the field of
early childhood education in Montenegro. A
significant part of the research subject related to the
determination of the level qualification and com-
petences of teachers for inclusive education.
The research problem was focused on deter-
mining the current state of the education system of
Montenegro, referring to early mathematics teach-
ing and inclusion of children with special
educational needs in the education process. The
main problem of the research in this paper was to
determine the current situation regarding the
appropriate application of inclusive principles in
the initial teaching of mathematics in kinder-
gartens, with children with special needs. For the
purposes of this research, we chose to use a
questionnaire with multiple choice and open-ended
questions, as well as a scale of assessment, in order
to gain a more objective sense of the nature of the
problem. The aim of this study was to gather as
much relevant information about the current state
of the system in terms of professional and overall
preparedness of the kindergarten teachers to work
with children with special needs in the area of
initial teaching in the field of mathematics as
possible. Finally, the goal of this research is to
identify the key problems in the process of
implementation of inclusive principles in teaching
mathematics. Based on the collected research
indicators, it is possible to accurately mark the key
recommendations to improve inclusive practices in
the field of mathematics in future.
Sample
The sample included 550 kindergarten teachers.
This is a quota and a convenience sample. Thus,
the random sampling method was chosen for
respondents from the three regions in Montenegro
(North, Central and South), with the intention to
include representatives of all representative regions
in our country (quota sample). Within these three
groups were randomly chosen volunteer partici-
pants (convenience sample).
Instrument
For the purposes of the research, we used a
questionnaire and an estimate scale. Questions in it
were defined in accordance with the given issue
and included information about: the region in
which they were employed, years of experience,
level of expertise, the modes of planning im-
plementation of mathematical objectives, current
problems in teaching practice and proposed
measures to improve existing inclusive context in
teaching mathematics at an early age. The scale for
assessing the attitudes toward inclusive values in
the field of integration of children with special
needs in the teaching of mathematics in the kinder-
4 Mićanović, Novović, Maslovarić
gartens was designed by the authors of this study,
with the main aim to assess the applicability of
inclusive standards in the initial teaching of
mathematics (i.e. adaptation of goals and activities,
creation of individual programmes etc.). It is in the
form of the summation Likert-type scale, and the
respondents for each statement expresses the
degree of agreement. The discriminative power of
each item of the scale was examined on the basis of
correlation between item-total, with 16 separate
items.
Reliability of the scale was determined using
Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, obtained by identi-
fying the internal consistency of the scale. The
reliability of the scale is satisfactory, because the
value of the said coefficient is 0.755.
Process of Research and Presentation of the
Research Results
The authors were involved in the research process.
Respondents were guaranteed anonymity of the
data obtained from questionnaires and scales that
would be filled. In this way, we reduced the
possibility of receiving more “desirable” answers.
Data was collected in the period from the
beginning of February to the end of June 2015. All
three researchers were in touch with all respondents
in the process of collecting data in order to
competently explain the research process and
provide necessary clarification if needed. After the
research was completed, they conducted an
objective analysis and determined the prevalence of
specific indicators of inclusive values in the
planning and implementation of mathematical
activities at an early age.
This paper presents the frequencies and
percentages, as well as mean and standard de-
viation, as statistical indicators of variables, based
on which we can clearly observe models of good
practice and note the problem that hinders or call
into question the quality of the implementation of
the inclusive model of education work in planning
and realisation of mathematical activities at an
early age. Quantitative indicators were comple-
mented by the descriptive analysis of studied
problems and respondents’ answers in order to
objectify the picture of the studied phenomenon in
pre-school practice.
Results of the Research
In order to analyse the problem our sample
respondents came from all cities and towns of
Montenegro, featuring different levels of experi-
ence and qualifications (550 persons).
The sample covered 183 respondents with a
college degree, which represents 33.27% of the
total sample, and 367 respondents with a university
degree or 66.72% of the sample (Table 1).
Teachers with a college degree generally belong to
the category of respondents with working ex-
perience ranging from 31–40 years, although some
of them belong to the category of 21–30 years of
age. Heterogeneity of the sample, in terms of
education, was important for the distribution of
answers to the key questions pertaining to the
inclusion of children with special needs in the
initial teaching of mathematics.
In addition to professional qualifications, the
sample was also heterogeneous in terms of the
years of experience (Table 2). Without any par-
ticular intention, we included 143 respondents,
whose length of service is in the range from 0 to 10
years, which makes 26% of the total sample, 238
respondents (43.27%) were in service from 11 to
20 years, 95 subjects (17.27%) had working ex-
perience ranging from 21 to 30 years, and 74
respondents or 13.45% of the sample had 31 to 40
years of working experience.
Table 1 Level of education of the kindergarten teachers
Level of education
Frequency
Percent
College degree
183
33.27
University degree
367
66.72
Total
550
100.0
Table 2 Years of working experience of the kindergarten teachers
Years of working experience
Frequency
Valid percent
0–10
143
26.0
11–20
238
43.27
21–30
95
17.27
31–40
74
13.45
Total
550
100.0
South African Journal of Education, Volume 37, Number 2, May 2017 5
Table 3 Education level of the kindergarten teachers and their assessment of the quality of inclusion in
preschool education system of Montenegro
Teachers in kindergarten
Quality
Mostly quality
Mostly not quality
Not quality
Total
College degree
0
36
54
93
183
0.0%
19.67%
29.5%
50.81%
100.0%
University degree
0
94
223
50
367
0.0%
25.61%
60.76%
13.62%
100.0%
Total
0
130
227
143
550
0.0%
23.63%
50.36%
26.0%
100.0%
Note. χ2 = 28.226; df = 4; C. Coeff. = 0.354; p = 0.001.
Based on the data obtained, we can determine
that when it comes to the assessment of the quality
of inclusive education in Montenegro, as perceived
by kindergarten teachers with different level of
qualification, there is a tendency in the respondents
with college degree to rate it as not quality when
compared to the responses of their colleagues
holding university degrees (93 respondents or
50.81%) (Table 3), who hold the predominant view
that the inclusive education is mostly not of high
quality. Interestingly, none of the respondents were
of the opinion that inclusive education in
Montenegro is of high quality (223 respondents or
60.76%). The distribution of responses by region
(Table 3) shows a statistically significant difference
(χ2 (4) = 28.226; C. Coeff. = 0.354; p <.01)
regarding the attitude toward the quality of
inclusive education in Montenegro. The noted
statistical significance in terms of different results
in the field of assessing the quality of inclusive
education across regions leads us to determining
the reasons for such attitudes. We have selected
three key factors, namely kindergarten teachers: a)
do not have the support they need from the system;
b) are not equally trained to work with children
with special needs; or c) are not given the same
chances for professional development to work with
children with special needs in their kindergarten
groups.
Table 4 Working experience of respondents and estimation of the quality of inclusive practices regarding the
inclusion of children with special needs in mathematical activities in kindergarten
Years of working experience in
kindergarten
Quality
Mostly quality
Mostly not quality
Not quality
Total
0–10
0
73
55
15
143
0.0%
51.04%
38.46%
10.48%
100.0%
11–20
0
125
97
16
238
0.0%
52.52%
40.75%
6.72%
100.0%
21–30
0
15
53
27
95
0.0%
15.78%
55.78%
28.42%
100.0%
31–40
0
3
28
43
74
0.0%
4.05%
37.83%
58.1%
100.0%
Total
0
170
279
101
550
0.0%
30.9%
50.72%
18.36 %
100.0%
Note. χ2 = 58.324; df = 4; C. Coeff. = 0.435; p = 0.001.
Interestingly, none of the kindergarten teach-
ers, regardless of their experience, assessed
inclusive education as a quality one in terms of
involving children with special needs (Table 4).
Teachers with the longest working experience (43
respondents or 58.1%) expressed their dis-
satisfaction to a much greater extent when
compared to their counterparts with less work
experience when it comes to the active partici-
pation of children with special needs in the initial
teaching of Mathematics. Categories of res-
pondents with work experience ranging from 21 to
30 years (53 respondents or 55.78%), pre-
dominantly hold the view that the kindergarten
teachers are generally not well prepared and trained
to work with children with special needs in
mathematics, making the inclusive practice
inefficient at this level; while respondents with the
least experience, from 11 to 20 years (125
respondents or 52.52 %), as well as those with 0 to
10 years of working experience (73 or 51.04%),
regard the inclusive practice as being generally a
quality one (Table 4), with a marked statistically
significant difference (χ2 (6) = 58.324; C. Coeff. =
0.435; p < .01) in the attitudes of respondents by
the category of experience. This can be explained
by the fact that the initial training of kindergarten
teachers was in line with modern social develop-
ments, and that state continuously innovated
educational programmes. It is also understandable
that teachers who received their education 30 or 40
years ago did not have sufficient training to work
with children with special needs. Specifically,
newly designed curricula of the study programmes
for kindergarten teacher education, include ac-
tivities in the domain of inclusion, and the entire
educational/social context of the reform process
affirms this principle, so it is understandable why
6 Mićanović, Novović, Maslovarić
kindergarten teachers with the least number of
years of employment have the best opinion about
the quality of inclusive practice in the mentioned
area. On the sample differentiated by qualification
(Table 5) in two categories (college and university
degrees), we found significant differences in
attitude about the quality of inclusive practice in
the initial teaching of mathematical terms and
issues. A much higher percentage of respondents
with a college degree (98 respondents or 53.55%)
believe that initial kindergarten teacher education is
not of high quality, in terms of preparation for
working with children with special needs in the
area of mathematics at an early age, compared to
the responses from those with a university degree
(three respondents or 0.81%), while respondents
with the university degree, estimate that initial
teacher education generally is not particularly good
in this respect. It is also interesting to note that
much higher percentage of respondents with a
university degree (41.68%) are of the opinion that
the inclusive practice is generally a quality one,
compared to those holding a college degree
(9.28%). Taking into consideration the observed
significant differences in the attitudes of the
respondents (χ2 (2) = 36.288; C. Coeff. = 0.436; p
<.01), it is clear that the level of education
influences the respondents’ assessment of the
quality of inclusion of children with special needs
in mathematical activities in kindergartens. While
respondents from both categories hold a fairly
critical stance when it comes to the quality of
inclusive practice in terms of the level of
preparation for working with children with special
needs in kindergarten, particularly in mathematic
terms, we can see that teachers with a university
education express a much higher level of
satisfaction with the quality of higher education in
preparing future teachers to deal with the focused
problem, since in the course of their education,
they had a chance to get some basic knowledge in
the field of inclusive education, and especially in
the field of methodology of teaching mathematics
at an early age.
Table 5 Level of education of educators and their assessment of the quality of inclusive practices regarding the
inclusion of children with special needs in mathematical activities in kindergartens
Education College teachers in
kindergarten
Quality
Mostly quality
Mostly not
quality
Not quality
Total
College degree
0
17
68
98
183
0.0%
9.28%
37.15%
53.55%
100.0%
University degree
0
153
211
3
367
0.0%
41.68%
57.49%
0.81%
100.0%
Total
0
170
279
101
550
0.0%
30.9%
50.72%
18.46 %
100.0%
Note. χ2 = 36.288; df = 2; C. Coeff. = 0.436; p = 0.001.
Table 6 Working and training experience of respondents when it comes to working with children with special
needs on implementation of mathematical activities in the kindergarten
Years of working experience
of teachers in kindergarten
Fully trained
Mostly trained
Mostly not trained
Not trained at all
Total
0–10
0
83
39
21
143
0.0%
58.04%
27.27%
14.68%
100.0%
11–20
0
141
37
60
238
0.0%
59.24%
15.54%
25.21%
100.0%
21–30
0
27
30
38
95
0.0%
28.42%
31.57%
40.0%
100.0%
31–40
0
13
21
40
74
0.0%
17.56%
28.37%
54.05%
100.0%
Total
0
264
127
159
550
0.0%
48.0%
23.09%
28.9 %
100.0%
Note. χ2 = 28.342; df = 6; C. Coeff. = 0.334; p = 0.001.
In terms of kindergarten teachers’ expertise to
work with children in the field of mathematics, we
noticed the most significant difference in the
number of years of service, while in the category of
regions and qualifications, we have not noticed any
significant difference (Table 6). It should be noted
that the categories of respondents with work
experience up to 10 years (83 respondents or
58.04%) and 11–20 years (141 respondents or
59.24%) dominantly hold the attitude that they are
generally qualified to work with children with
special needs in the subject of mathematics. Unlike
them, respondents with more work experience i.e.
21–30 years (38 respondents or 40%) and 31–40
years (40 respondents or 54.05%) of work in
kindergartens were of the opinion that in general
they are not qualified to work with children with
special needs, when teaching mathematic terms and
issues (determined statistical significance in the
analysis of responses was χ2 (6) = 28.342; C. Coeff.
South African Journal of Education, Volume 37, Number 2, May 2017 7
= 0.334; p < .01). Such attitudes of the respondents
point to the need for proper organisation of
retraining and professional development of kinder-
garten teachers in the field of working with
children with special needs. It is interesting that
none of the respondents felt fully competent and
qualified to work with children who need to have a
customised programme and methods in the process
of instruction in the field of mathematics in the first
cycle of primary school. Therefore, a logical con-
sequence is a need for planning and realisation of
extensive kindergarten teacher training in all
kindergartens in all regions of Montenegro.
In order to assess the key inclusive values in
planning/realisation activities in the initial teaching
of mathematics, we used a total of 16 items, and
each item was assessed with a five-degree
assessment scale (5 - strongly agree, 4 - mostly
agree, 3 - both I agree and disagree, 2 - mostly
disagree, 1 - completely disagree).
Table 7 Mean values of items that assess the recognition of important inclusive values in planning/realisation
activities in the implementation of mathematical activity in the kindergarten
N
Arithmetic
mean
Standard
deviation
While planning prescribed curriculum objectives teacher differentiates their
implementation according to children abilities in the kindergarten.
550
3.36
.692
Preparation of annual, monthly and weekly plans of the implementation of
teaching objectives is based on previous familiarising with abilities of the
children.
550
3.27
.731
Kindergarten offers all the expertise in the field of planning and realisation of
teaching objectives in accordance with the requirements of inclusive education
to its kindergarten teachers.
550
1.86
.764
Kindergarten teachers are competent to apply inclusive approach in the
planning and realisation of activities.
550
2.96
.681
Kindergarten teachers use inclusive approach in their work to the fullest extent.
550
3.41
.792
The realisation of the initial teaching of mathematics is fully inclusive in the
preschool institution where I work.
550
2.11
.564
Always involve children with special needs in math activities in a kindergarten.
550
4.72
.893
The kindergarten teacher ensures that children without disabilities cooperate
with children with special needs, both in learning and extracurricular activities.
550
3.46
.786
The kindergarten teacher applies methods and forms of work that enhance
inclusion in his/her work.
550
3.24
.734
The number of children in an inclusive classroom is optimal and allows smooth
process of individualisation and differentiation.
550
1.05
.654
When it comes to children with special needs in teaching of mathematics,
kindergarten teacher always uses individualised approach to teaching.
550
3.15
.765
The kindergarten teacher always differentiates courses and course requirements
in teaching mathematics.
550
3.07
.824
The kindergarten teacher has excellent cooperation with the expert team for
inclusive education at the kindergarten.
550
4.38
.885
The kindergarten enhances the professional competence of kindergarten
teachers through professional development programmes, which it provides on a
yearly basis.
550
2.31
.796
Central institutions elaborate the programmes of professional development of
kindergarten teachers for teaching mathematical terms in a kindergarten
according to inclusive requirements.
550
2.88
.687
If the kindergarten teacher is not able to solve any problem when working with
children with special needs, he/she always seeks the advice and assistance of
the relevant services, and they do not ignore the problem, but work on it until it
is resolved.
550
3.56
.834
From the given display of the mean values
(Table 7) of the assessment of the recognition of
important inclusive values in planning/realisation
activities in the initial teaching of mathematics, we
ought to consider the highest and lowest values.
The highest mean values can be seen on items,
which state that “always involve children with
special needs in math activities in the kindergarten”
(4.72) and the “kindergarten teacher has excellent
cooperation with the expert team for inclusive
education at a kindergarten” (4.38) while contrary
to them, the lowest average values are reported on
the items such as “the number of children in an
inclusive classroom is optimal and allows smooth
process of individualisation and differentiation”
(1.05) and “kindergarten offers all the expertise in
the field of planning and realisation of teaching
objectives in accordance with the requirements of
inclusive education to its kindergarten teachers”
(1.86).
As for the open-ended questions in the
questionnaire, in order to highlight what represents
the biggest problem in working with children with
special needs in mathematics, and what they
8 Mićanović, Novović, Maslovarić
propose as measures to improve the situation,
kindergarten teachers predominantly highlighted
the following problems: lack of professional and
methodical support of the institution, where there
is: underdeveloped professional competence in
working with children with special needs in
kindergarten; too many children in educational
groups in kindergarten; and lack of necessary
teaching materials for children with special needs
in kindergarten. Proposed measures to improve
inclusive practice in kindergarten as proposed by
teachers include: the accreditation of quality
programmes for professional development re-
garding the inclusion of children with special needs
in math activities in preschool, provision of
adequate teaching equipment, and resources for the
work, reducing the number of children in
educational groups in kindergarten in order to
quality individualised and differentiated edu-
cational work.
Discussion about the Results of the Research
and Recommendations
The research revealed that inclusion came to life at
an early age (kindergarten), but there are many
problems regarding its implementation. It is en-
couraging that a growing number of educators were
prepared to accept the concept of inclusive
planning and implementation of mathematical
activity in pre-school education. In this process it is
particularly important that all parties work on the
implementation of inclusive programmes and
cooperate with each other as partners, providing
mutual collaboration and support (Mićanović,
2010). It is much more rational to use the resources
for the education of the existing teaching staff than
to spend it on a special education system for
children with special needs. By linking institutions
in the inclusive education process, we network both
human and professional resources, which interact
and contribute to upgrading the individual pro-
fessional skills of teachers. Particularly important
are mutual trust, respect, and appreciation, because
without these, there is no quality provision of help
to those who really need it.
It is incomprehensible that kindergarten
teachers have to work with 30 children, especially
when having a child with special needs among
them, trying to meet everyone’s needs. Taking into
account a number of relevant psychological and
pedagogical factors of successful mathematical
work with pre-school children, it is desirable, from
the point of a kindergarten teacher whose class
features a child with developmental disabilities, to
work with a maximum of 10 children. In cases
when there is a child with moderate developmental
problems, this number should not exceed 15
children in a group. In case of less severe forms of
inclusion, the number of children per group should
not be more than 20. Working in numerous groups
leads to neglecting the individuality of the child
and meeting their needs, which at the same time
calls into question the quality and sustainability of
the process of inclusion. Since the laws in
Montenegro put the principles of inclusion,
democratisation and individualisation on a high
level, it would be realistic to expect practical
application of inclusive education at all levels of
education, and in all programmes of professional
development of kindergarten teachers, so that
planning operational goals would foster active
involvement of children of different levels of
knowledge and capabilities in the process of the
teaching of mathematic issues at an early age. In
order to effectively plan and implement the
adoption of mathematical concepts in children of
different predispositions in inclusive kindergarten
teaching, it is essential to have immediate expertise
in the field of mathematics, but it is of fundamental
importance to possess the knowledge of key
assumptions of an inclusive paradigm.
Since children with special needs are part of
the total population, they have the right to be
provided with adequate early education, just as
well as their peers do. Institutions should be
equally open and responsive to all children. The
results show significant progress regarding the
spread of ideas of inclusion in the educational
process, since its complete implementation requires
full cooperation of all social and educational
institutions.
The methodology used to assess the value of
planning and implementation of designed mathe-
matical activities at a very early age has helped us
to identify problems and suggest measures for
improvement:
• ensuring continuous process of development for all
educators regardless of working experience and
level of education;
• providing more objective approach to the
development and application of criteria for the
formation of groups and number of children;
• teamwork in planning and implementation;
• full access to State institutions; and
• providing the necessary teaching materials for
apparent activity.
Conclusion
Based on a research related to the issues of
inclusive education in Montenegro’s pre-school
context, we explored the achievements, challenges
and recommendations for the development of this
model in present educational and social en-
vironment. The teachers, as key drivers of the
pedagogical process at an early age, assessed the
quality and the level of responsiveness of the
current pre-school environment to the specific and
special needs of children with disabilities/
developmental challenges in the area of
mathematical activity. As can be seen from the
results, the differences between respondents in
South African Journal of Education, Volume 37, Number 2, May 2017 9
terms of their perception of the quality of support
and methodological skills in the work, especially in
the field of mathematical contents with children
with disability/developmental challenges, do exist,
especially from the aspect of the level of education,
as one of the criteria variables. It is evident from
the answers of all respondents, that is, surveyed
teachers, that it is necessary to ensure of the respect
of key pedagogical norms in regard to the number
of children per class and the number of required
professionals, who need to build a quality and
responsive environment for children with dis-
abilities in kindergartens. A systemic-teamwork
approach, as one of the constituent components of
the leading pedagogical paradigms in the
Montenegrin educational system, implies a number
of contradictions in practice. Namely, in contrast to
the preferred declarative model of systemic and
continuous reform and adjustment of programmes,
which intend to cater for all contextual and
individual differences, the implicit beliefs of edu-
cational policy makers and a number of the direct
participants in the given context, continue to rely
on the model of exclusion and a segmented
approach. Architectural barriers and inadequate
spatial resources, and resulting conditions lead to
visible communication barriers both in the
narrower and broader pedagogical context. There-
fore, pre-school educators in general expect
adequate professional support in order to improve
their educational procedures and meet the pro-
gramme objectives in the field of mathematics, to
advance their skills of individualisation when it
comes to methodological work, and to make more
effective contribution to various stakeholders’ team
working with children with disabilities/challenges.
Whenever the professional competence of teachers
is thoroughly grounded and built, there is more
determination, motivation and dedication to re-
search in educators willing to improve the current
practice in all-important segments.
Note
i. Published under a Creative Commons Attribution
Licence.
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