Extent of adaptation of teaching and learning strategies in inclusive public centers in Kisumu county,Kenya

Abstract

Inclusive teaching and learning strategies strive to meet the needs of all learners, regardless of difficult or need and support their engagement with the subject material. One of the important principles of inclusive education is about teaching for diversity; this means that the teacher has to be flexible and adaptive, recognize that different learners have different ways and styles of learning, interpreting and understanding information. An inclusive school must offer possibilities and opportunities for a range of working methods and individual treatment to ensure that no child is excluded from companionship and participation in the teaching and learning process otherwise their learning would be jeopardized. A survey in Kisumu indicated that there were 662 public ECD centers with 17 known to be having children with diverse needs in their regular schools, however little was known on the extent to which these diverse individual needs were being met during the teaching and learning process. The purpose of this study therefore was to establish the extent to which teaching and learning strategies were adapted in inclusive ECD centers in Kisumu County. A descriptive survey design was used. The target population was 17 head teachers and 37 regular teachers. Saturated and purposive samplings were used to select 15 head teachers and the 34 regular teachers. Data was collected using questionnaires, observation and interview schedules. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics; frequency counts, percentage and mean. Qualitative data was transcribed and analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings revealed that the teaching-learning strategies were adapted to a large extent witha mean of M=4.44. The extent to which certain inclusive teaching and learning strategies were used had a mean of 3.93 implying that the strategies used in these schools were inclusive to large extent. This study implies that learners in inclusive schools were able to participate effectively in the learning process as their needs were adequately met. The study recommends that teachers embrace all-inclusive strategies in order to maintain interactive sessions in classes.