Secondary School Learners with Disabilities Challenges in Three Provinces of Zambia

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

Secondary School Learners with Disabilities Challenges in Three Provinces of Zambia

Penda Annie, Chibwe Juliet, Shanzuwa Biggie
Kwame Nkrumah University, Zambia

Abstract: The study was carried out in order to tap from teachers’ experiences concerning the challenges faced by learners with disabilities while learning in an inclusive classroom and to determine the effects and ways of addressing these challenges.
The study was conducted in the three provinces of Zambia namely; Lusaka, Copper belt and Western province. The total number of schools were seven of which two schools were in Lusaka city, three schools from Copper belt of which two schools were from Chingola town and one school from Kitwe. The remaining two schools were from Mongu in Western province. The study had the sample of 35 teachers of which five were from each school. The study was qualitative and one research instrument namely semi-structured interview schedule was used with three questions. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis.
The study found that learners with disabilities faced challenges which affected them while learning in an inclusive classroom in arrears such as environment, infrastructure, curriculum, medium of instruction, seating arrangement, teaching and learning materials and equipment, academic subjects and non-academic skills, being taught by untrained teachers in special education, financial, learning at their own pace, technology, examination and memory, attention and communication and behavioral problem and ways of addressing these challenges were discovered.

Key Words: Learners with Disabilities, challenges, Inclusive Classroom.

I. INTRODUCTION

Learning is a process of acquiring knowledge, skills and concepts. All learners face challenges in different forms. This study was focused on challenges faced by learners with disabilities in an inclusive classroom. This is supported by Ndlovu, (2008)who stated that learners with disabilities face challenges when learning in inclusive classroom such as non-user friendly infrastructure, inadequate appropriate teaching and learning materials and lack of skills.
When learners with disabilities learn together with those without disabilities in the same classroom it is termed as inclusive education. Inclusive classroom is a classroom in which learners with disabilities learn together with those without disabilities

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