Factors Influencing the Implementation of Inclusive Education Policy in Public Senior Secondary Schools in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State.

Abstract

This study investigated the factors influencing the implementation of Inclusive Education policy in public senior secondary schools in Rivers State. The population of this study was 3629 teachers from public secondary schools in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State. Data was collected using a questionnaire titled Teachers’ Attitude Toward the Implementation of Inclusive Education. A sample of size of 400 teachers was drawn from the population using the Taro Yamane formula. Respondents were then selected from public senior secondary schools in Rivers State using the simple random sampling technique. The instrument was subjected to face and content validity while test-retest was used to measure its reliability. The result of the tests was correlated using Pearson Product Moment, Correlation Co-efficient. The reliability co-efficient of 0.76 was established. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics of Mean and Standard Deviation. From the results, it was observed that none of the schools has ramps on doorways, wheel chairs, adapted toilets, adapted desk and hearing aids, which implies that provisions have not been made for physically challenged students in Rivers State. The results indicated that the implementation of inclusive education was hampered by various issues such as teacher attitudes, lack of teacher training, inadequate infrastructural and material resources, inappropriate policy development, as well as curriculum issues. It was recommended among others, that, government should provide infrastructural facilities and funds for effective implementation of inclusive education at the Basic level of education.