PERCEPTIONS OF PARENTS OF TYPICAL CHILDREN TOWARDS INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

• Main Authors: Amruta Narumanchi, Shruti Bhargava
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: VU e-Publishing 2011-05-01
• Series: Disability, CBR and Inclusive Development
• Subjects: Inclusive education; children with special needs; India
• Online Access: http://dcidj.org/article/view/10

<p>The purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions of parents of typical children towards inclusive education and children with special needs. The research design was exploratory and descriptive in nature. Fifty parents of typical children of an inclusive school and 5 experts heading an organisation for children with special needs formed the sample.  In-depth interviews were conducted to gain information on the awareness and understanding about an inclusive setup, descriptions and explanations of children with special needs, and advantages and disadvantages of an inclusive setup for children. In addition, draw and dialogue technique was used with parents and experts to supplement the data from the interviews, to elicit descriptions and understanding of children with special needs. Results showed positive reactions towards children with special needs. Parents supported inclusion, but suggested separate classes for academics. Experts’ descriptions of children with special needs were more technical than those of the parents.</p><p>DOI 10.5463/DCID.v22i1.10</p>