Teachers’ attitude toward inclusive practices in early Childhood Centres within the Cape

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive practices in early childhood centres within the Cape Coast Metropolis. Concurrent embedded mixed method design was adopted for this study. The study employed census sampling technique for the quantitative phase while purposive sampling was used for the qualitative phase. The sample for the study was (219) kindergarten teachers. The instruments used for the collection of data were questionnaire and semi-structured interview guides. The data from the questionnaire were analysed descriptively using frequency, percentages, means, and standard deviations whereas the data from the interview were analysed thematically. The study revealed that teachers generally support inclusive education, recognizing its benefits in promoting equity and social growth, however, they feel confident yet underprepared, particularly for addressing diverse learner needs, resource limitations and classroom management challenges, inconsistent administrative and parental support hinders implementation. Also, the findings from the study further indicate that cultural beliefs profoundly influence teachers' attitudes toward inclusive education in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Again, teachers are dissatisfied with the scarcity of training, resources, and specialist support. Also, while the training effectively raised awareness and boosted teacher confidence about inclusion, it lacked practical strategies for classroom application. It is therefore recommended that the Ghana Education Service should encourage continuous professional development should include ongoing support mechanisms such as mentoring, peer collaboration networks, and access to expert guidance. Also, the Ghana Education Service should invest in creating structured, supportive environments that offer continuous resources, fostering effective inclusive practices in early childhood education.