International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue V, May 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Strategies used in inclusive early childhood development classes attached to primary schools in the South Eastern district in Zimbabwe

Henry Chinhara
Bindura University of Science Education, Zimbabwe

Abstract: The paper presents findings on strategies used by teachers in Chiredzi District-Zimbabwe to assist Early Childhood Development learners with special education needs. A mixed methods approach was used to gather data for the study. To gather data questionnaires, interviews, observation schedules and document analysis were used in twenty sampled early childhood development centres attached to primary schools. In the findings teachers were employing a variety of strategies such as differentiated instructions, small groupings of mixed learners, story games and songs to accommodate learners with special education needs. ECD teachers made attempts to modify teaching instructions and learning media in trying to assist learners with learning challenges, still they faced a lot of challenges in the process. Major barriers to inclusive education were large enrolments and lack of teacher competencies to offer expert assistance to learners with special education needs. The study recommends that the government set policies that enforce schools to stick to small teacher-pupilratios. Furthermore, extensive in-service and pre-service teacher training programmes that empower teachers for inclusivity are a critical requirement.

Key words: Early childhood development 1; Inclusive education 2; Adaptation of curriculum3; Special education needs 4; Resource mobilisation 5;

I. INTRODUCTION

The key premises of inclusive education on which the paper is located, is on schools’provisioning of quality education for all children, irrespective of their differences. Teachers should disregard learners’ abilities, physicality, race, language and communication deficiencies, social class, culture, gender and disability as differentiation factors (Miles ad Singal, 2010). Hence, the paper explores systematic challenges encountered as determinant factors of how and what learners should learn as is frequently a norm in inclusive education schools. Ngcobo and Muthukrishna (2011) propose that, inclusive Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioners should have abilities to accommodate all children, including those from the most disadvantaged families in the learning process as critical in ensuring children’s developmental potential.