Teachers’ Understandings of Disability and Barriers to Disability-Inclusive Pre-Primary Education

Abstract

Though there is a good amount of research on inclusive education in Tanzania, there has been less attention to the teachers’ views on the concept of disability and barriers in the provision of inclusive pre-primary education. This study, therefore, was undertaken to explore how teachers view the concept of disability and barriers to disability-inclusive pre-primary education. This qualitative multiple case study used individual interviews and focus group discussions with teachers to collect data from four sampled schools that enrolled children in Tanzania, predominantly within Kagera Region. The study involved a sample of 26 participants, of whom 11 were female and 15 were male. The collected data through 15 individual interviews and four focus group discussions were subjected to thematic analysis procedures. Findings show that teachers understand the concept of disability differently: disability as a tragedy, disability as a societal problem, disability as a spiritual issue, disability as anger of ancestors, and disability as an ability-disability continuum. The identified barriers to disability-inclusive pre-primary education included: poverty; attitudes, stigma, and discrimination; inadequate teaching resources; inadequate infrastructure; and teachers and their practices. These barriers impact the transformation of pre-primary education into more inclusive education. The combined initiatives and efforts of various stakeholders to combat obstacles to promote inclusion in pre-primary education remain critical.