Understanding inclusive education practices in schools under local government jurisdiction: a study of Khon Kaen Municipality in Thailand     

Pennee Kantavong 《International Journal of Inclusive Education》2018,22(7):767-786

This article investigates inclusive education practices in schools under the jurisdiction of Thai local government through a study of schools in Khon Kaen Municipality in Northeastern Thailand. Thailand’s 1997 Constitution and 1999 National Education Act both legislated that the educational system must become inclusive, and under these laws schools are required to admit all groups of children, including children with special educational needs (SEN). This study sheds light on the situation of inclusive education in schools with regard to administrators’ policy implementation, teachers’ practices, and parents’ perception of inclusive education management. The findings derive from a survey of 11 school administrators, 114 teachers, and 274 parents (of 137 regular and 137 students with SEN), together with six focus groups with administrators and teachers from six schools. The results demonstrate that most school leaders support inclusive classrooms, most teachers are willing to work with SEN students, and parents of regular students accept the concept of inclusion. Actual practices of inclusive education vary, however, depending upon the perception of administrators and the will of the teachers to implement inclusive education. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the policy of the municipality may have resulted in the development of inclusive practices in schools under its jurisdiction.  相似文献   

Different paths for inclusion in Thailand: improving special teachers as leaders in the development of inclusive education     

Pennee Kantavong  Narong Kiettikunwong 《Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs》2020,20(1):74-84

This study investigated how support from other organisations compliments or reinforces the activities of teachers and parents in order to optimise the development and improvement of students in inclusive classrooms in Thailand. The objectives of this study include: (1) investigating the changes in teachers and parents who joined a municipal Human Resource Development (HRD) program in Khon Kaen Municipality; (2) evaluating the success of the program against its expected results; and (3) analysing the results and proposing improvements to the program to benefit students with disabilities. In order to examine the overall outcomes of the program for the concerned parties, qualitative survey‐based research involving questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions, employed with school administrators, teachers and parents, was used. The major findings are that school administrators and teachers paid more attention to students with a diversity of needs after joining the program, although participating parents’ acceptance of students with disabilities was low. The program evaluation revealed that participating teachers managed their classrooms better. Lastly, in order to improve the program in the Thai context, more acceptance and awareness must be created among both teachers and parents.  相似文献