Keywords

Inclusive education, special educational needs, students with disabilities, unrwa, palestine, refugees

Abstract

For refugee children with disabilities, international agencies largely provide humanitarian assistance, including education. However, the obstacles associated with refugee existence can impede progress in the movement towards educating children with disabilities in inclusive settings. Perceptions of inclusive education in schools operated by the Jordan field of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East were explored through multiple embedded case studies. Each of the three schools examined included a student with a special educational need. The researcher also investigated strategies and supports provided by education stakeholders to students with special educational needs in inclusive classrooms. The study was framed by four research questions aligned to a theoretical model of inclusive education and guided by propositions. Findings from interviews, classroom observations, and document reviews, suggest that all stakeholders believe education for students with special educational needs is a human right. However, perceptions of inclusion differed based on several factors including the student’s level of need and the disability, the teacher’s self-efficacy and feeling of preparedness towards meeting the needs of students, and the impact of overcrowded classrooms and limited instructional time. In comparing results between stakeholders, differences existed in perceptions of benefits and challenges associated with inclusive education.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2013

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Dieker, Lisa

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Education and Human Performance

Department

Dean's Office, Education

Degree Program

Education; Exceptional Education

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0004923

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0004923

Language

English

Release Date

August 2013

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Education, Education -- Dissertations, Academic

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