Zimbabwean Early Childhood Education Special Needs Education Teacher Preparation for Inclusion

Overview & Synopsis

The current study examined special needs education teachers' preparation for inclusion in Early Childhood Education (ECE). The present descriptive study drew on a sample of twenty-eight ECE special needs education teachers purposively drawn from Mashonaland West educational province of Zimbabwe. A constant comparative analysis of data organisation with continual adjustment was utilised throughout data analysis to identify recurring themes and discover common patterns while maintaining individual contextual information. Despite participants' Afrocentric and Eurocentric conceptualisation and support for inclusion, they were selective regarding children to serve based on the nature and severity of the children's disabilities. Limited capacity in teacher education for inclusion in teacher education institutions hampered participants' preparation. Infusion of training on inclusion across ECE teacher education curricula, affording teacher candidates teaching practice in inclusive settings, collaboration of teacher education institutions with other stakeholders and in-service training of teacher educators could enhance teacher preparation for inclusion. The present study is a baseline for future studies on special needs education teacher preparation for inclusion in ECE.