Headteachers’ Collaboration with Parents and Implementation of Inclusive Education in Integrated Public Primary Schools in South Rift Region, Kenya

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of head teachers’ collaboration with parents on the implementation of inclusive education in integrated primary schools in the South Rift Valley region in Kenya. The study focused on determining the relationship between  adequacy of inclusive education resources and head teachers’ collaboration with parents. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Social interdependence theory (SIT) was employed in the study. The target population consisted of 25 head teachers, 121special needs teachers, 308 representatives of school management committees, and 450 parents’ association's representatives from the 25 integrated schools in the South Rift Region. Data was collected using questionnaires for head teachers and special needs teachers. Reliability was determined through the test-retest method and calculated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation and regression statistics. The findings showed a positive relationship between head teachers’ collaboration with parents and implementation of inclusive education (r=0.912; p<0.05). Most (63%) of the head teachers indicate that psycho-social sensitization is to a scale of little extent. Again, a third of the head teachers, agreed that although parents’ meetings have resulted in collaboration with parents on the implementation of inclusive education, the participation is not optimal enough. The study recommends that the community and parents should be made aware of their responsibility for ensuring that inclusive education is effectively implemented and the head teachers should mobilise a reliable structured collaborations that may lead to consistent progressive implementation of inclusive education.