EARLY CHILDHOOD INCLUSION: A SURVEY OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS' OPINIONS ON THE KIND AND AMOUNTS OF ASSISTANCE NEED TO COMPLETELY INCLUDE CHILDREN IN SPECIAL NEEDS

Abstract

This paper investigates the views of preschool educators on the kinds and levels of support necessary to effectively integrate children with special needs into regular educational settings. A total of 1,608 educators responded to a survey that was devised to allow for the gathering of demographic information and perceived help needs using a structured questionnaire and a 5-point Likert scale. Quantitative data was analyzed in SPSS version 25 using descriptive statistics and ANOVA to investigate the quantitative and qualitative relationship between the assistance needs and outcomes of early childhood inclusion. There was a clear consensus amongst educators concerning being highly influential on the critical importance of additional preparation, resources, and staffing for successful inclusive practice. Actually, the educators believed that insufficient support often restricted their ability to cater to the needs of various children as most of them have unique requirements. The study aimed to uncover if there was a statistical relation between the extent to which educators perceived the levels of support and their abilities to create inclusive environments. The p-value established for the study was less than 0.05, which was justifiable for the statistical significance meant. These findings signify the necessity of the need for educators' support as part of the most imperative elements in initiating and promoting successful inclusion within early childhood education. The study contributes further to existing literature by giving much insight into the kinds of support needed by educators to implement inclusion so that children with special needs can be fully included in learning processes. This paper makes recommendations to the policymakers and educational settings around professional development and resource reallocation that was led to equal and effective learning experiences for all children in these settings.