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Inclusive Education: Perceptions and attitudes among Filipino high school
teachers
Maria Roxainne O. Nuñez
Shela S. Rosales
shelasped@yahoo.com
College of Teacher Education
Western Mindanao State University
Abstract
The growing population of students brought the opportunity to welcome diversity inside the
classroom, which put ‘inclusive education’ (IE) into implementation in many parts of the
world. However, despite the diversity, abilities and disabilities inside the learning environment,
teachers and students shared a common goal in education and that is to learn. Thus, educational
institutions have delved into implementing programs that would cater each learner’s needs
regardless of his abilities and disabilities. Studies regarding successful implementation of
inclusive education have been conducted mostly in Middle East countries while in the
Philippines; research in this aspect is limited. Hence, this paper was conceptualized to
determine the perception and attitude among Filipino High School teachers which takes a huge
part in the successful implementation of the program. Moreover, methodology of this study
utilized a qualitative descriptive research design among 7 high school teachers which
according to Denzin and Lincoln (1994), is a method that involves interpretation of phenomena
in order for the researcher to clearly understand on how the respondents make meaning from
their past experience. Furthermore, regarding with the results, it is found that teachers were
revealed to have moderately defined inclusive education despite the lack of professional
training they possess. Additionally, teachers’ attitude towards IE is also investigated and
favourable attitudes were revealed by Filipino high school teachers.
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Keywords: inclusive, inclusive education, Philippines, perceptions, attitudes, Filipino high
school teachers.
Biodata:
Maria Roxainne O. Nuñez is presently a student of the College of Teacher Education under
the Bachelor of Secondary Education program with English as area of specialization.
Dr. Shela Sales-Rosales served as the Associate Dean of the College of Teacher Education,
Western Mindanao State University. She has been a Special Education Specialist since 2003.
Additionally, she earned her master’s degree in SPED with a specialization in Teaching
Children with Auditory Disabilities from the National Center for Teacher Training, the
Philippine Normal University (PNU). Moreover, she holds a Doctorate degree in Special
Education from the Saint Joseph College in Quezon City. Aside from teaching students with
special needs, she is also a sign language interpreter, an advocate, and an implementer of
inclusive education programs for learners with special needs. Her teaching experience included
teaching in the undergraduate and graduate programs of the University. She is the author of
the Special Education Teacher Performance Appraisal of the Department of Education,
Division of Zamboanga City. She was awarded as an Outstanding Special Education Teacher
for three years (2003, 2007 and 2018) by the Department of Education. Her research works are
focused on Special Education and Inclusive Education.
Introduction
In the year 2009, the Department of Education in the Philippines issued DepEd Order 72, s.
2009 which states that no child should be left behind in terms of education, according to a
millennium objective set for 2015 (DepEd, 2009). This means that students should exercise
their rights to an appropriate education in a normal or inclusive classroom which is guaranteed
by the Department of Education. With the help of the whole educational system and
stakeholders, the Department of School's Inclusive Education Program ensures that every
child, regardless of their skills or impairments, has an equal opportunity to attend formal
education. In support to this movement and for the aimed progress in the Philippine education
landscape, 10 years after, DepEd announced the revised basic education requirements for
grades K through 12 (DepEd, 2019), and in line with this, inclusive education is the newly
added component.
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In response to the growing diversity of students in the school community, learners with special
educational needs (SEN) are welcomed in the learning environment as a full member (De Silva,
2013). Inferable from this reality, Savi (2009) stated that “responding to diversity and
considering individual needs of learners is a requirement of contemporary education at any
level p. 19”. Therefore, instructional material, methods of teaching should be customized to
assure that regardless of students’ abilities, they can successfully partake in a regular classroom
(Mittler, 1995). In addition, its main purpose is to provide classroom experiences for the
growing diverse group of students and to eradicate further values and attitudes that seek to
discriminate and exclude (UNESCO, 1994).
It has been argued that attitude is an important factor in the success or failure of educational
programs and policies (Alieto, 2018; Alieto & Rillo, 2018; Alieto, Abequibel, & Ricohermoso,
2020; Buslon, Alieto, Pahulaya & Reyes, 2020; Berowa, 2016a; Berowa, 2016b; Berowa,
Devanadera & David, 2018; Cabangacala, Alieto, Estigoy, Delos Santos, & Torres, 2021; De
La Rama, Sabasales, Antonio, Ricohermoso, Torres, Devanadera, Tulio, & Alieto, 2020; Go
Silk, Medriano, Dela Cruz, Deran, Alieto, Abdon, Rillo, & Lucas, 2020; Mumbing, Abequibel,
Buslon, & Alieto, 2021; Ricohermoso, Abequibel, & Alieto, 2021; Somblingo, & Alieto,
2019). Evidently, research on inclusive education has identified essential variables for effective
inclusion, such as teachers’ perceptions and teachers' favourable attitudes toward
mainstreaming students with disabilities. As Berowa and Agbayani (2019) maintain, “the
success of any education policy is also measured on the trust and support the teachers give on
the idea of the system and the system itself for them to change classroom practices” (p. 124).
Teachers play a pivotal part in the educational system and have been dealing with students of
different backgrounds, disabilities and abilities. If classroom teachers have negative attitudes
toward handling children with SEN, the success of inclusive programs may be jeopardized. As
classroom teachers strive to incorporate students with SEN, negative attitudes about inclusion
in education may become roadblocks. With that being said, teachers have an essential part in
carrying out an open and comprehensive environment for all inside the classroom (Costello &
Boyle, 2013). Therefore, the need to educate teachers about this complex component is critical
to students' progress.
However, success of students in an inclusive classroom does not only depend on their abilities
but the attitudes and perceptions of the people that surround the learner counts as well.
According to authors (Cawley, Hayden, Cade, & Baker- Kroczynski, 2002; Hammond &
Ingalls, 2003; Van Reysen et al., 2001), teachers' perspectives are critical to the success of
inclusive programs because they are crucial in incorporating students with disabilities into
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regular classes. It's crucial to look into people's perspectives. Teachers must include students
with SEN in a regular mainstream as much as possible. Additionally, their attitudes toward and
acceptance of others may be influenced by their perceptions. Teachers’ attitude has found vital
to students’ as well (Savi & Proši-Santovac, 2017). Corroborating to what O’Gorman and
Drudy (2011) have claimed that “positive attitudes on the part of teachers facilitate more
successful inclusion p.10”.
Inclusive education is continuously gaining attention and focus not only in the Philippines but
in other countries as well (Potts, 2000). That is to say that, countries have been considering
and welcoming IE to help address students with SEN. Inclusion is more than just a student’s
presence. It may be demanding to some, but this can only be achieved when appreciation and
understanding present and each one is valued. However, the majority of the high school
teachers are not fully equipped to teach students with SEN in inclusive classes which make the
teaching and learning process more challenging (Aksu Ataç & Taşçı, 2020). Thus, as the
researcher has noticed, it is noteworthy to measure the teachers’ perceptions on inclusive
education, more so their attitudes towards its implementation.
Furthermore, the purposed of this research was to reveal the teachers’ attitudes with the
diversity of students in the regular classroom and to unveil their perspectives on inclusive
education, which led to a good number of recommendations for its successful implementation.
Literature Review
Inclusive Education in the Philippines
The word ‘inclusive’ has been defined as involvement of learners in a regular classroom no
matter their abilities. Meaning, whatever the student’s condition may be, he should be included
in a regular classroom (UNESCO, 1994). It is a new concept teaching students with SENS in
a regular classroom because in the past, these students were not accommodated in regular
schools for some reasons. According to Aksu Ataç and Taşçı (2020), because students with
SEN are different from other students; there is an urge that they should be taught by a teacher
who is fully equipped and trained in inclusive education. That means to say, learning could be
better if they are taught exclusively. However, with the nature of inclusivity, it should be noted
that diverse students must be accommodated regardless of their abilities and disabilities. As
stated by Carrington and Elkin (2002), to be valued and to be respected is the philosophy of
inclusive education regardless of students’ disabilities, abilities and diverse learning styles.
Thus, there is really a need to provide equal support and enough encouragement for students
to be motivated in participating in the different learning activities in school.
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In the Philippine educational landscape, implementation of Inclusive Special Education started
in S.Y, 1997-1998 through mainstreaming or integration of special learners in the regular
education program. In order to educate as many children as possible, and due to a lack of funds
to build a separate special education infrastructure to meet the needs of children with
disabilities, the Philippine Department of Education officially adopted inclusive education as
a viable educational alternative in 1997. As a matter of fact, the notion of 'Silahis Centres' (a
school within a school) is proposed as a practical model for implementing and promoting the
inclusion of students with disabilities in normal schools across the Philippines (Inciong &
Quijano, 2009).
Subsequently, in the year 1999, the Bureau of Elementary Education, Department of Education
Culture and Sports through the Special Education Division developed a “Handbook on
Inclusive Education” to develop and facilitate the most effective planning and programming
for learners with special needs who were formerly segregated can now be integrated by
modifying instruction and providing additional support services. To sustain inclusiveness in
the Department of Education the Bureau of Secondary Education of the Department of
Education in 2005 conducted national training for secondary teachers in order to accommodate
learners with special needs in general education programs. Moreover, despite the achievement
of the Philippines achieving its milestone as a signatory of the international policies regarding
inclusive education, Mori (2015) contended that many Filipinos still do not get the chance to
go to school because of financial scarcity and some lack access to educational facilities.
Furthermore, with the embrace of inclusion of learners with SEN in the regular learning
environment, policies have been implemented as well. In fact, the Enhanced Basic Education
Act of 2013, also known as the Republic Act 10533, was implemented to provide programs
that would cater and address the learning needs of diverse learners including students with
SEN. That is to say that K to 12 basic education programs indeed support the IE
implementation which in fact provides quality, inclusive and of course welcoming education
to over 20 million of learners in the Philippines (Albert, 2016). Additionally, according to the
Department of Education (2015), among these learners, over 300,000 learners with SEN are
assisted by 173 normal schools with Special Education (SpEd) classes and 448 acknowledged
Special Education centers.
However, government financed schools in the country where the majority of the population of
Filipino students are enrolled, are confronted with mediocre outcomes, overpopulated class
sizes, shortage of well-trained teachers, insufficiency of resources, and disputable perspectives
of legislators (Alegado, 2018). The Philippines consequently battles in the execution of IE
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because of the intensified misinterpretations on what the IE is all about, insufficient resources,
perceptions and especially the attitudes of teachers as a whole (Muega, 2016). Thus, to
guarantee good conveyance of the inclusive programs for students, intensive preparation on
comprehensive instructional methods has been organized to help teachers viably address the
issues of students with SEN (Department of Education, 2015). More so, Mina and Agbon
(2017), maintained that school interest among students with SEN is commonly low. Plans
toward the fulfilment of IE are assumed; and Villamero and Kamenopoulou (2014), contended
that if there is a shortage of resources in a country, may it manpower or instructional materials,
IE turns into a troublesome endeavour.
Teachers’ Perceptions and Attitudes toward Mainstreamed Special Learners
In the previous years, below average attitudes of teachers have been shown in previous studies
(Barco, 2007; Dupoux, Wolman, & Estrada, 2005; Loreman, Forlin & Sharma, 2007) towards
learners with SEN and their inclusion in the regular classes. Considerable number of studies
as well have shown that teachers share the same perceptions regarding IE; some positive and
some negative (Barco, 2007; Dupoux, Wolman, & Estrada, 2005; Ross-Hill, 2009). But despite
the variation of perceptions among teachers, Wiggins (2012) argued that there is a significant
relationship between a successful inclusion and the teachers’ perceptions regarding inclusion
in education. As a result, it may be stated that teachers who have experience teaching in an
inclusive classroom have more favourable judgments on IE than those who have never taught
in an inclusive environment. Over the past decades, views of teachers remain the same.
Actually in the study of Dev (2014), it was revealed that teachers prefer and appreciate
mainstreaming more than just inclusion.
Evidently, as stated by Sharma and Desai (2003), teacher training has found to lessen concerns
of pre-service teachers in dealing toward IE. In support of the previous author’s statement,
Subban and Sharma (2006), also found out that teachers held favourable perceptions for the
reason that of course they have attended training and gained knowledge regarding inclusive
education. This means that if a teacher is well-equipped and has enough knowledge regarding
IE, a successful inclusion is really achievable. However the following authors (Ali, Mustapha
& Jelas, 2006), also found in their study that there are teachers that were impacted negatively
by training related to IE. But overall, according to Ali, Mustapha, and Jelas (2006), the majority
of the population of teachers see IE positively. Meaning, despite loopholes regarding the
program, the majority still sees the potential of what IE can do to help learners with SEN.
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Research Questions
The purpose of this paper is to find out how Filipino high school teachers perceive and feel
about inclusive education. Specifically, this research aimed to answer the following questions:
1. What are the Filipino high school teachers’ perceptions about inclusive education?
2. What are the Filipino high school teachers’ attitudes towards mainstreamed special
learners?
Methodology
Research Design
This paper aims to find out of how Filipino high school teachers perceived and feel about
inclusive education and the methodology necessarily calls to utilize the qualitative descriptive
research design which according to Denzin and Lincoln (1994), is a method that involves
interpretation of phenomena in order for the researcher to clearly understand on how the
respondents make meaning from their past experiences. Moreover, a qualitative approach is
specifically utilized to investigate how Filipino high school teachers perceive and their
attitudes toward inclusive education. According to Creswell (2013), this method is appropriate
for this research since it allows the researcher to do a one-on-one or focus group interview
(FGD). The researcher may ask the respondents open-ended questions in order to get the most
important responses. The approach used in this study is the best fit for the researcher to provide
a comprehensive presentation of Filipino high school teachers' perceptions and attitudes about
inclusive education.
Participants
Seven Filipino high school teachers working in a public school in Zamboanga del Sur were
interviewed for this study. Furthermore, convenience sampling was employed because
according to Andrews and Frankel (2010), is a sampling technique which is a best fit since the
world is facing a global pandemic, and teachers are very busy at the moment because of the
current situation, the researcher only interviewed respondents that were available and just
reachable. A considerable number of possible respondents (n=8) were invited but
unfortunately, one teacher declined at the last minute because of some personal reason.
Therefore, out of 8, 7 respondents were selected possessing the following inclusion criteria: 1)
employed as a high school teacher in the Philippines and; 2) must have an experience handling
students with SEN. Additionally, before they participated in the study, they were also informed
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about the confidentiality of the interview, in compliance with Republic Act 10173 or the Data
Privacy Law.
Instruments and Data Collection
To obtain the genuine data, the current study used semi-structured interviews. Because
activities during the global pandemic are limited, a virtual interview was done instead of a
face-to-face interview. Alternatively, the interview was done through a phone call since video
call or audio call through messenger and other platforms online might just be disrupted because
of an intermittent connection. The interview was just about 15-30 minutes and was of course
recorded to be transcribed for the data analysis. During the course of the interview, it’s not just
the main questions that were asked, there were also follow up questions which is an advantage
in the utilization of semi-structured interview, where the researcher can add and ask questions
depending on the respondents’ response (Harding, 2018). The researcher also took down notes
for the smooth flow of follow-up questions and to ensure validity of the responses. Lastly,
consent was requested as well from the respondents before the actual interview happened.
Data Analysis Procedure
After the data collection, responses have been transcribed. Since there were 2 respondents who
answered not in the English language, the researcher translated it and then sent it to an expert
for a validation. The transcribed data were categorized and were thematically analysed to
answer the research questions. The researcher went over the data from the recorded interviews
several times to review and confirm its reliability. From there on, several phases were
conducted to attain the consensus of the data results. The most pertinent excerpts in the
responses of the respondents of this research were presented in the findings and discussion
section.
Result and Discussion
This section presents a description of the findings in order to provide a response to the study's
two research questions. The most represented excerpts from the responses are presented below
to provide support to the findings description.
In the first part of the interview, after the warm-up questions, the respondents were asked if
they had undergone training or taken up subjects regarding inclusive education before their
encounter with students with SEN.
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Participant 1
“Actually none because before there were really none. And supposed to be, students
with learning disabilities should be handled by SPED teachers”
Participant 7
“Yes. I studied long before in HANGUP kabataan for sign language. I’ve also had a
seminar focusing on the blind students. It’s a regional seminar but I never had the
chance to apply for it because it’s just 5 days and I think that it’s just so superficial.
Participant 4
“No I didn’t have training but I just have ideas regarding inclusive education.”
The data reveals that participants of the study are not trained but they still handled students
with learning disabilities in their classes. Despite lack of training, teachers are given
responsibility to attend students with special needs. Moreover, regardless if they have proper
training or none, still the researcher aims to explore the Filipino High School teachers’
perceptions and attitudes towards IE to help the government in giving action to improve the
implementation of this program in the educational landscape here in the Philippines.
Filipino High School Teachers’ Perceptions toward Inclusive Education
The researcher was able to classify themes from the data collected which is presented in the
following tables. Table 1 presents the perceptions of teachers regarding inclusive education.
Table 1.
Teachers’ Perceptions regarding Inclusive Education
Themes
Excerpts
Percentage
1. Development of
skills and talents
“I tried to facilitate him and also mainly
focus on the strengths and the talents he
has. Not only addressing his differences, I
also helped him discover and develop his
talents because he is good at singing…’
(P1)
“Special ones are allowed to develop their
strengths in the regular classes and they are
28.5%
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treated fairly and this becomes their
opportunity to showcase as well their
talents and skills that the regular students
don’t have” (P7)
2. Minimized
discrimination
“…because of this inclusive education,
discrimination to students with learning
disability is minimized…’ (P1) “
14.3%
3. Building confidence
and determination
“We are building the confidence and
determination of students with learning
disabilities.” (P2)
14.3%.
4. Learning
opportunities
“Real learning opportunities for all
students not because a student has this
condition, he wouldn’t be included in
education.” (P1)
“With inclusive education, opportunities for
them are non-stop and their needs will be
really addressed in this program…’ (P4)
“It provides better opportunities for
learning. Children with varying abilities are
better motivated when they learn in classes
surrounded by other children also.” (P6)
42.9%
Table 1 shows perceptions of the participants regarding IE in the country. Moreover, the four
recurring themes are presented in the table. There were four perceptions that were provided by
Filipino High School teachers regarding inclusion in education.
The primary identified perception is that inclusive education is about the development of skills
and talents among students. Among the seven participants, there were two who provided the
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same perceptions. The excerpt “…I tried to facilitate him and also mainly focusing on the
strengths and the talents he has. Not only addressing his differences, I also helped him discover
and develop his talents because his good in singing…” is evidence that teachers are facilitative
in developing the students’ skills and talents which gives the student confidence to show more
of what he got. Additionally, participant 7 stated, “…special ones are allowed to develop their
strengths in the regular classes and they are treated fairly and this becomes their opportunity
to showcase as well their talents and skills that the regular students don’t have.” Clearly
proves that teachers’ treatment of students is where the students get their confidence in
showcasing what they got. If they feel like they are treated equally, that’s the time they do
more.
Additionally, a participant also perceived that inclusive education is equals to minimal
discrimination of students with learning disabilities. Participant 1 stated “…because of this
inclusive education, discrimination to students with learning disability is minimized…” In this
participant’s case, he handled a dyslexic student. Before enrolling, the student admitted that he
was bullied because of his condition but after enrolling, he was noticed as a good singer and
has other skills and talents as well. The teacher observed that because of inclusive education,
it resulted to minimized discrimination to students with learning disabilities.
Moreover, a participant also responded that he perceived inclusive education as the building
of confidence and determination of students with learning disabilities. This means that
inclusive education isn't just about meeting the needs of children with learning difficulties for
some. It is also building students’ confidence and determination despite any condition they
have.
Finally, for the last theme, there were 4 participants who responded that they perceived
inclusive education as a learning opportunity to all students regardless of disability.
This idea is drawn from the following excerpts:
“Inclusive education is a real learning opportunity for all students not because a
student has this condition; he wouldn’t be included in education.” (P1)
“With inclusive education, opportunities for them are non-stop and their needs will be
really addressed in this program.” (P4)
“It provides better opportunities for learning. Children with varying abilities are
better motivated when they learn in classes surrounded by other children also.” (P6)
Findings of the current study show the perceptions and the attitudes of Filipino High School
teachers toward IE. Despite the fact that teachers have no proper training regarding IE, they
only have a little knowledge since there were no IE subjects in the teaching curriculum before.
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Moreover, it is important to note that almost all of them correctly defined IE even though there
were some that answered limitedly. Just like in the study of Nketsia and Saloviita (2013),
teachers were revealed to clearly define inclusive education despite the lack of professional
training.
It was found out that respondents are not well-equipped to teach students with SEN in a regular
classroom. Just like in Thailand, Agbenyega and Klinthong (2014), it was revealed that
teachers teach students with SEN with just a little amount of background about it. In a similar
vein, Sukbum Pant et. al. (2013) also contended that because there is a lack of knowledge on
the teachers’ end, they become less confident to teach already. However, the researcher of this
study concludes that it is not just all about the knowledge about IE, it is also the passion and
love of work of the teachers. Lack of expertise does not mean inability to teach at all but it
would be better if there is proper training for teachers regarding IE. In fact, according to
Hemmings and Woodcock (2011), in order for an inclusion to be successful, teacher-qualities
are essential. In the Philippine context, the program is already implemented; we just need well-
equipped teachers to execute.
Filipino High School Teachers’ Attitudes towards Mainstreamed Special Learners
All of the respondents were found to have positive attitudes towards inclusion of special
learners in the regular mainstream (n = 7). The participants were very buoyant to students with
learning disabilities in the regular learning environment which adheres to the aim of the
inclusive education implementation that teachers should welcome and accept as if every
individual difference of special students is natural; that they should focus on the students’
strengths rather than their inabilities.
They highlighted the need of teachers to be more patient and understanding with students with
learning difficulties in regular classes. Some participants, on the other hand, stated that it’s a
little bit challenging but despite the challenge they face, their passion in teaching students
prevails. The following statements in table 2 presented below exemplify these points of view.
Table 2 presents the attitudes of the participants regarding inclusive education in the
Philippines. There were 9 attitudes elicited from the data.
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Table 2.
Teachers’ Attitudes towards Mainstreamed Special Learners
Themes
Excerpts
Percentage
1. Understanding
“Then that dyslexic student, I now
understands why he can’t easily read
because of his condition, where letters
are not steady from his point of
view.”(P1)
14.2%
2. Helpful
“I personally invest time to help him. We
do reading and so on… And to develop
his confidence, I always encourage him to
help him know his worth…I also help him
discover and develop his talents because
he is good at singing.”
(P1)
“They are also humans like us. For
humanitarian purposes, we need to cater,
we need to love, we need to sustain the
needs of these learners.” (P5)
28.5%
3. Facilitative
“I tried to facilitate him and also mainly
focus on the strengths and the talents he
has.” (P1)
“I just gave time for him to understand
lessons that are quite hard for him to
understand. But I do it when we’re just
the two of us. One on one.” (P4)
28.5%
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4. Glad and Hopeful
“Basically, I’m glad and hopeful because
at last there is action already. Because of
this inclusive education, discrimination to
students with learning disability is
minimized because they feel belong
through inclusive education… I‘m happy
about that because it’s very nice to hear
and I’m hopeful because those families
who can’t afford to enroll their child in
private schools have a chance already.”
(P1)
14.2%
5. Patient
“For me it is not easy to teach them so
our patience, love and care for the
students will be doubled at this point of
time.” (P3)
“It is not easy to deal with these students
with special needs so that’s the reason
why teachers who are engaging in this
kind of teaching must have the patience
and the love for teaching.” (P5)
28.5%
6. Appreciative
“You cannot scold them because they
have special needs but you will just
appreciate whatever they do, whatever
their actions be regardless if it’s a
positive or negative action but you have
to really appreciate everything that they
do.” (P5)
14.2%
7. Likeness
“I like inclusive education because the
special ones are allowed to develop their
14.2%
165
strengths in the regular classes and they
are treated fairly and this becomes their
opportunity to showcase as well their
talents and skills.” (P7)
Among the seven participants, one of them stated that in order to attain successful inclusion, a
teacher must be understanding, “…then that dyslexic student, I now understands why he can’t
easily read because of his condition, where letters are not steady on his point of view…” he
said. Aside from being understanding, two participants represented teachers also on being
helpful. This idea came from the following excerpts:
“I personally invest time to help him. We do reading and so on… And to develop his
confidence, I always encourage him to help him know his worth…I also help him
discover and develop his talents because he is good at singing.” (P1)
“They are also humans like us. For humanitarian purposes, we need to cater, we need
to love, we need to sustain the needs of these learners.” (P5)
Moreover, two participants showed the attitude of being facilitative toward students of
inclusive education. This contention is from the data elicited from the respondents and the
statements are as follows;
“I tried to facilitate him and also mainly focusing on the strengths and the talents he
has” (P1)
“I just gave time for him to understand lessons that are quite hard for him to
understand. But I do it when we’re just the two of us. One on one” (P4)
Participant 1 also responded that he is glad and hopeful towards inclusive education because
accordingly, there is less discrimination already. Students feel they belong through IE and
participant 1 is glad about that. He is happy as well because those families who can’t afford to
enroll their child in private schools have a chance already. Two participants also stated how
they become patient when tested by circumstance through inclusive education. P3 states “…for
me it is not easy to teach them so our patience, love and care for the students will be doubled
at this point of time”. While P5 said that, “…It is not easy to deal with these students with
special needs so that’s the reason why teachers who are engaging in this kind of teaching must
have the patience and the love for teaching”.
Being appreciative as an attitude was stated by a participant as well, “…you cannot scold them
because they have special needs but you will just appreciate whatever they do, whatever their
166
actions be regardless if it’s a positive or negative action but you have to really appreciate
everything that they do…” (P5). And finally, the likeness of teachers towards the
implementation of IE was mentioned by a participant. “I like inclusive education because the
special ones are allowed to develop their strengths in the regular classes and they are treated
fairly and this becomes their opportunity to showcase as well their talents and skills…” (P7).
According to the data, the majority of Filipino high school teachers (n=7) have a favourable
attitude regarding IE. Along with their favourable responses, the respondents thought that in
handling students with SEN, a teacher must possess understanding and patience and more.
They emphasized the role of a teacher to be appreciative as well no matter how slow the
progress of the student would be and the importance to include and welcome students
regardless of their ability and disability in a regular classroom.
Similarly, the longitudinal investigation of Costello and Boyle (2013) also yielded positive
attitudes among teachers regarding IE. However, in other countries such as Germany, Ghana
and Spain, teachers’ attitude towards IE is just average unlike previous studies that have been
presented (Mónico et al., 2020). This means that the attitudes of the teacher may differ of
course depending on how long it has been implemented in the country and depending on the
practices, training they have been through. Additionally, in a study in Turkey by Rakap and
Kaczmarek (2010), negative attitude toward IE was found, which can be concluded that they
do not like the IE implementation because of the lack of teachers training. However, Seçer
(2010) argued that if teachers are provided opportunities to have training, implementation of
IE in a country will surely succeed.
Furthermore, findings of this study revealed a necessity for the government to take action in
training teachers for IE implementation. This suggests adding inclusion lessons in teacher-
training before pre-service teachers will be assigned in the field. In the study of Aksu Ataç and
Taşçı (2020), the author also suggests training would-be teachers to have students with learning
difficulties or disabilities in their practicum to improve inclusive training of teachers in the
country.
Conclusion and Recommendation
This research project aims to find out how Filipino high school teachers feel about inclusive
education in the Philippines. Findings showed that although teachers have limited training
regarding inclusive education, they remain to have favourable perceptions and attitudes
towards it. However, positive perceptions and attitudes towards inclusive education are not
enough. Successful implementation calls for proper training for teachers, which could be
167
achieved if and only if the government would take action. Possible training must include
communication with learners with disabilities, effective teaching methods and strategies, and
adaptation of materials for teaching students with SEN. This study revealed that classroom
teachers have not yet had enough training to teach and that they are not well-equipped to handle
students with SEN. Thus, a call for the inclusive programs recommended in the teaching
curriculum is needed to provide adequate training for would-be teachers to be ready for
inclusive teaching in the field.
Implication
Findings of this study bear implication that although teachers have limited training regarding
inclusive education; they remain to have favourable perceptions and attitudes towards it.
However, positive perceptions and attitudes towards inclusive education are not enough.
Curriculum specialists must also prioritize the integration of a unique curriculum to ensure that
the scholastic needs of the diverse students are met (Rosales, 2020). Also, successful
implementation calls for a necessity of proper training for teachers and this could be achieved
if and only if the government would take action. Moreover, communication with learners with
disabilities, effective teaching methods and strategies, and customization of materials for
educating students with impairments are all possible training options. Teachers have not yet
received adequate training to educate, and they are ill-equipped to deal with students with SEN,
according to the data provided. Thus, a call for the inclusive programs recommended in the
teaching curriculum is needed and that is to provide adequate training for would-be teachers,
for them to be ready for inclusive teaching in the field. More so, if teachers are prepared with
the appropriate qualities for inclusion, inclusive education will be effective and responsive to
the requirements of students. This could be accomplished by separating materials and tasks.
As a result, in order to properly integrate inclusion in their classes, prospective instructors will
need training or even teachers that are already in the teaching field. These workshops should
include material adaptation for teaching purposes Do’s and don’ts in handling learners with
SEN.
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