AN EXPLORATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES USED BY REGULAR PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN INCLUSIVE CLASSROOMS

Abstract

After the establishment of Special Needs Education department in the Ministry of Education Science and Technology, learners with special educational needs doubled in number in primary schools. However, instructional strategies to effectively meet the needs of all learners in the inclusive classrooms by regular primary school teachers were not known. The purpose of this study was to explore instructional strategies regular primary school teachers use in inclusive classrooms in Lilongwe urban district. The study adopted case study research design and Purposive sampling technique was employed to select the population of interest and the research site. The sample size was 19 regular primary school teachers, and 16 primary school learners. Semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and observation were used to generate data, and data were analysed thematically. The study found that most teachers consider factors such as: teaching and learning resources, content, questions and time when planning for instruction. Question and answer, whole class discussion and partial group work were strategies mostly used by the regular teachers. The findings revealed that teachers made few adaptations on content, teaching and learning materials that meet the needs of all learners in classrooms. However, lack of knowledge and skills, inadequate teaching and learning materials, large classes, and inadequate time for planning hindered teachers from using instructional strategies in an inclusive classroom effectively. It was suggested that pre-service teachers should major in SNE and regular workshops on delivery of lessons in an inclusive classroom for both regular primary school teachers and specialist teachers should be enforced.