Abstract:

The preschool period, which coincides with the first years of life, covers the period during which critical skills are learned for children with special needs, as well as for children with typical development. It is also clearly stated in the Regulation on Special Education Services that children with special needs in preschool age continue their academic life through inclusion /integration practices (IIP). This research aims to examine the opinions and suggestions of preschool teachers with students who benefit from IIP regarding IIP. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight preschool teachers with at least one IIP beneficiary student in their class. The data obtained from the research, which was designed as a case study from qualitative research methods, were analyzed descriptively and themes and sub-themes were created. When the themes and sub-themes were examined, the teachers stated that IIP supports the special needs student academically and socially. Some teachers stated that they had difficulty communicating with a special needs student in the classroom and felt inadequate about it. Participants who stated that they had taken a “special education and inclusion” course in their undergraduate education but that the course content was insufficient feel that they should be supported in this regard. The participants stated that some parents with a typically developing child have negative attitudes towards IIP and described this situation as prejudice. In addition, the participants suggested that parents should be given various seminars or family training aimed at overcoming their prejudices against IIP.

Keywords: