International Journal of Inclusive Education

ISSN: 1360-3116 (Print) 1464-5173 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tied20

Perception of basic education school teachers

towards inclusive education in the Hohoe District
of Ghana

Mark Anthony Ocloo & Michael Subbey

To cite this article: Mark Anthony Ocloo & Michael Subbey (2008) Perception of
basic education school teachers towards inclusive education in the Hohoe District
of Ghana, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 12:5-6, 639-650, DOI:
10.1080/13603110802377680

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13603110802377680

Published online: 16 Dec 2008.

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 International Journal of Inclusive Education
Vol. 12, Nos. 56, SeptemberNovember 2008, pp. 639650

Perception of basic education school

teachers towards inclusive education in
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the Hohoe District of Ghana

Mark Anthony Ocloo* and Michael Subbey
Department of Special Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana West Africa
International
10.1080/13603110802377680
TIED_A_337935.sgm
1360-3116
Original
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2008
Mark
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5-6
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oclookofi@yahoo.com
AnthonyOcloo
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Francis
(print)/1464-5173
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Journal of Inclusive
(online)
Education

The purpose of this study is to investigate the perception of basic school teachers towards inclu-
sive education in the Hohoe District of Ghana. The research makes use of a descriptive survey
design, which engaged both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. A sample size of
100 respondents, comprising of 60 male teachers and 40 female teachers, was drawn from a
population of 600 for the study. A purposive sampling technique is employed to find participants
for the study. The outcome of the research reveals that even though the basic school teachers in
the Hohoe District were exposed to the policy of inclusive education, they identify factors imped-
ing the policy implementation comprising: inadequate facilities available for the teachers to
implement the policy of inclusion and a lack of adequate training for teachers to be equipped
with how to take care of students with disabilities in their classrooms. It is also found that the
Ghana Education Service and other stakeholders of education pay mere lip service to the provi-
sion of services to inclusive school environments. The researchers suggest that the Ghana Educa-
tion Service must provide regular in-service training to the teachers for them to be able to address
the learning needs of the disabled. Additionally, suggestions are raised for Government and other
stakeholders to provide equipment and other facilities for implementation of inclusive education
in Ghana.

Introduction
In Ghana education has traditionally been organized on a two-tier basis: the first is
the special school for children with disabilities such as deafness, blindness and mental
retardation; and the second is the regular school system.1 The system of segregation
dates back to the early post-independence era. Today, very few schools have
attempted and successfully broken down this barrier.

*Corresponding author. Department of Special Education, University of Education, Winneba,

Ghana, West Africa. Email: oclookofi@yahoo.com

ISSN 13603116 (print)/ISSN 14645173 (online)/08/056063912

2008 Taylor & Francis
DOI: 10.1080/13603110802377680
 640 M. A. Ocloo and M. Subbey

Research has established that superstitious beliefs, inexperienced teachers, and

prejudices against persons with disabilities towards inclusive education in the district
are accountable for the generally negative perceptions of teachers in the schools of the
study.
Philosophies regarding the education of children with disabilities have changed
dramatically over two decades and several countries, including the USA and
Scotland, have taken the lead in changing the trend towards the placement of persons
with disabilities in inclusive schools rather than in segregated special schools and
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special classes. The placement usually occurs after a thorough assessment is

performed. Thorman (2003) stated that inclusive education is about the assessment
of childrens potential to determine learning styles and areas of need for support.
According to Gunsalus & Morgan (1997), the placement of students with disabil-
ities into special classes came to the forefront of educational dialogue during the
1980s. In just a generation expectations of many concerning placement decisions
have changed from placement in self-contained classrooms to resource rooms, to
mainstreamed strategies to full inclusion. Expectations within inclusive practices
encompass creating a shared vision, involving advocacy groups, facilitating Individu-
alized Education Programmes, providing assistance with curriculum, ensuring appro-
priate learning opportunities for disabled learners, working with transition services,
and facilitating the professional development of staff.
The premise of the inclusive movement is the principle of discrimination, equity,
social justice, and basic human rights. These principles make it imperative that
students with disabilities and special needs should enjoy the same access to a regular
school environment and to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum as do all other
students (Knight, 1999; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD), 1999; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO), 1994).
It has been argued that teachers beliefs and attitudes are critical for ensuring the
success of inclusive practices since teachers acceptance of the policy of inclusion is
likely to affect their commitment to implementing it (Norwich, 1994). It is believed
that education in the mainstream enables students with disabilities to benefit from the
stimulation of mixing with relatively more able students and having the opportunity
to observe higher models of social and academic behaviour (Elkins, 1998).
Hayes (2005) noted that teachers are influenced by many factors before entering a
classroom. As members of their communities and societies, they are subject to the
same influences that affect public attitudes towards the placement of persons with
disabilities in regular schools. One theme emerges: that attitudes can and do influence
teachers behaviours in the classroom. In order for placement to be successful, general
educators must start with the philosophy that all children can learn and belong to the
mainstream of school and community in which they live and that children who learn
together learn to live together.
The role of teachers is crucial for progress of inclusive education in Ghana since the
failure or success of the programme depends largely on them. In view of this,
the perception of the primary schoolteachers towards this inclusion must be given the
 Perception of basic education school teachers towards inclusive education in Ghana 641

due attention it deserves. This research therefore explores and finds out about the
perception of the basic schoolteachers towards the placement of persons with disabil-
ities in regular schools in the Hohoe District of Ghana.

Statement of the problem

The concept of inclusive education is new to many practising teachers in the Hohoe
District. This is especially true for those teachers who started teaching long before the
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concept of inclusion gained acceptance in 1994 and was ratified by the United
Nations. Such teachers suppose that persons with disabilities have no place in the
regular classroom. The researchers view was established by Forlin (1998) who
showed that acceptance of a child with physical disability declined when teachers had
six to ten years of experience but was highest among educators with less than six years
of experience.
In addition, most head teachers in Ghana reject the admission of students with
disabilities into their schools with the reason that such disabled children will lower the
academic standard of the school. As revealed by clinical psychologist Avoke (2005),
in doctoral research conducted in Ghana, schools are aiming at results, so the teach-
ers in the regular2 schools do not want to see pupils with special needs. As a result,
they decide for the parents and tell them that the children should go to the special
schools. Such attitudes are strongly noted to be influenced by a desire to ensure a
particular standard in schools.
Moreover, most teachers refuse the placement of the disabled in their classes with
the notion that this may be unrewarding and burdensome. The rejection is stronger
with those children with severe disabilities than those with less severe disabilities. This
view was supported by Center and Ward (1987) when they found out that teachers
are more willing to include students whose disabilities do not require additional
responsibilities on their part.
Based on the above stated problems, the present study focuses on finding out about
the perception of basic schoolteachers towards the placement of persons with disabil-
ities in regular schools in the Hohoe District.

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study is to find out about the following:
The factors that influence teacher perception towards the placement of persons
with disabilities in regular schools.
The attitude of teachers towards the placement of persons with disabilities in regu-
lar (i.e., general education) schools.
The views of basic schoolteachers towards the placement of persons with disabili-
ties in regular schools.
The challenges that teachers face when implementing the inclusive education
policy in regular schools.
 642 M. A. Ocloo and M. Subbey

Significance of the study

The study is of importance to the basic schoolteacher because it will aid and enrich
the content that teachers know by exposing these teachers to the concept and practice
of inclusive education in regular schools. Also, the findings from the research will
support teachers who have graduated with diplomas and degrees at the teachers
colleges and universities and who have taken special education courses as core
subjects. This will help them to provide professional development at their schools for
teachers with certificates. Together, these teachers can carry awareness into the
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community regarding the importance of inclusion and encourage parents to send

their children with special needs alongside the non-disabled to their local schools.
From this outcome, it would be hoped that the board of management of schools
would develop policies to accommodate children with special needs in the regular
schools.
Additionally, the findings will help the Department of Special Education, Univer-
sity of Education, Winneba, to identify the areas in special education that have not
received enough attention by the policy-makers and the policy implementers.
Furthermore, the relevance of the study is based on the assumption that local districts
and teacher training institutions can utilize information generated to design effective
training programmes that are pertinent to the needs of basic schools teachers. Further
still, such information can be presented to school boards for funding purposes and
the planning of effective in-service training for teachers. Alternatively, the data-collec-
tion tools (questionnaire and interview schedule) developed could be used to identify
the strengths and weaknesses of teachers and pinpoint areas of training needs of the
basic schoolteacher.

Delimitations
The study was conducted in ten basic schools in the Hohoe District. It covered
primary one- to six-level schoolteachers and would be restricted to the selected
regular schools that are well established with the required staff strength in place. The
required staff strength in place made it possible for the researcher to select randomly
from a fairly large population of teachers present for the study. The well-established
basic schools had the head teachers at post who were involved in the study.

Review of the related literature

The review of the literature on the perception of basic schoolteachers toward the
placement of persons with disabilities in regular classrooms was done empirically and
theoretically. The review covered the views of basic schoolteachers towards the
placement of persons with disabilities in regular schools, factors that influence teacher
perception towards the placement of persons with disabilities in regular schools, and
the challenges faced by teachers in the implementation of the inclusive education
policy in regular schools.
 Perception of basic education school teachers towards inclusive education in Ghana 643

Influencing factors
Obeng (2007) of the University of Indiana, USA, carried out a study in Ghana. A
total of 480 respondents took part in this study. Questionnaires were administered in
the Accra metropolis and in some rural areas in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Data
were then collected and analysed. The purpose of this research was to find out: (1)
how teachers in general education classrooms, both male and female of different
educational backgrounds, view disabilities, (2) the kind of disabilities identified in
Ghanaian classrooms, (3) the type of training teachers receive in connection with
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teaching children with disabilities, and (4) how the training that teachers receive
influences the kind of help they gave to students with disabilities.
Obeng established that although some of the teachers surveyed (young and old,
male and female, rural and urban) had a great love for all their students, they (the
teachers) were not happy to have children with hyperactive behaviour in their class-
rooms. Some of the teachers were against having such children because they
complained that they did not have the necessary training and educational resources
to accommodate these children in an overcrowded classroom. The study recom-
mends that the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service look into
the various ways of helping students with disabilities, especially those with behav-
iour problems. It was also recommended that special education courses be made
core courses for teacher training in Ghana. Workshops that focus on training
teachers on how to incorporate activities that will enhance the abilities of students
with developmental delays to learn are a necessity. This will go a long way to
enhance students learning and ease or allay the teachers fears about their present
predicament.

Teacher attitudes
Research conducted by Agbenyega (2007) of the University of Ghana, Legon,
focused on examining teachers concerns and attitudes about inclusive education in
Ghana. The study combined surveys with qualitative approach to data collection.
After the survey, teachers who agreed to a personal interview were asked questions.
A 20-item Attitudes Toward Inclusion in Africa Scale (ATIAS) was completed by
100 basic school teachers from five Inclusive Project schools and five Non-Project
coeducational basic schools in three different localities: central business, coastal and
suburban areas within the Greater Accra metropolis. A total of 100 basic school-
teachers 33% males and 67% females from the ten schools were involved in the
study.
The study has shown that attitudes and concerns of teachers affect their acceptance
and commitment to implementing inclusion. According to the researcher, it is worth
noting that inclusive education, as implemented by Ghana Education Service policy
and project (Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education: FCUBE), is not leading to
equal and appropriate educational outcomes, particularly for students with disabili-
ties. Rejection of students with disabilities by regular teachers, inappropriate or
 644 M. A. Ocloo and M. Subbey

insufficient resources, and a lack of provision of generic support and training services
contribute to these poor outcomes. Agbenyega (2007) has noted that large class size,
professional competency, students needs, teacher beliefs and resources are particu-
larly important for inclusive practice to be successful in Ghana. It is important that
teacher attitude toward inclusive education is studied in-depth on regular bases.

Teacher views
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Mapsea (2006) of the University of Waikato investigated primary school teachers

views and experiences in implementing the Inclusive Education Policy in regular
schools. The study was conducted in five districts of the Enga Province of Papua New
Guinea. Six primary schools were selected and involved 77 teachers who responded
to questionnaire items, while twelve teachers within the group were chosen to be
involved in interviews. Data for the study were gathered and analysed from the ques-
tionnaires and the interview transcripts.
The findings from the study revealed that most teachers supported the notion of
Inclusive Education Policy and would like to implement it. However, they indicated
that there needed to be a change in attitudes of teachers, peers, boards of management,
and parents/caregivers to provide assistance for children with special needs. Most
teachers felt that there needs to be awareness of the principle and the importance of
inclusion.
Teachers limited knowledge of teaching children with special needs was also high-
lighted. Mapsea found that teachers admitted they needed more training in the field
of educating children with special education in order to accommodate and teach
children with special needs. Furthermore, teachers colleges and universities need to
have more trained lecturers to develop more courses in special education. Teachers
expressed the concern that school inspectors do not know enough about the inclusive
education concept and need to be trained as well, so that collaboratively they could
implement the policy. Government support is also mentioned as needed to imple-
ment effectively the inclusive education policy. This includes training of specialists to
support teachers, funds for teaching and learning resources and facilities in schools.

Challenges
A comparative and cross-national study conducted by Cavusculu (2006) of the Hoges
School, Zuyd, the Netherlands, focused on primary classroom teachers in Maastricht
(the Netherlands) in general education and their counterparts in Ankara (Turkey).
Questionnaires were administered to 80 teachers in total: 40 teachers belonged to
schools in Ankara and 40 teachers to schools in Maastricht. Thus, the total sample
was 80 teachers out of about 400 teachers who were engaged in teaching assignments
involving students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms.
The purpose of Cavusculus study was to investigate: (1) the current knowledge
and views of primary school teachers about teaching students with special educational
needs in mainstream schools; (2) to determine the possible challenges of teachers
 Perception of basic education school teachers towards inclusive education in Ghana 645

with this education system; and (3) to see whether or not there are resources to
support teachers in inclusive settings while performing their assignments.
Cavusculu found that teachers in neither country took courses about inclusive
education during their attendance at the university and at the time they engaged in
educational activities in the schools. However, teachers in the Netherlands sometimes
received assistance in inclusive education, in the classroom and outside of it, from the
auxiliary professional members. To an extent, this closed the gap of knowledge about
inclusive education and support. Teachers in Turkey reported trying to provide an
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inclusive education while lacking knowledge about it and not having any support.
From the study it was concluded that the inclusive educational services in Turkey are
facing many problems at the time of implementation. Teacher knowledge about
inclusive education is insufficient and the supportive services are lacking. Therefore,
this education is not successfully provided in Turkey. However, with the necessary
supportive services for inclusive education and the supports that reduce the work load
of the teachers, implementation of inclusive education by a majority of teachers in the
Netherlands is noted to be progressing. Persons having high level of knowledge
relating to inclusive education are provided for the schools and there are fewer
problems reported. The inference from the study is that inclusive schools will suffer
setbacks if support services for the development of the teacher and the inclusive child
are absent.

Research design
A descriptive survey was designed and employed for the study. The purpose is to
generalize from a sample to a population so that inferences could be made about some
characteristics, attitudes or behaviours of the population. According to Osuala (1991)
descriptive surveys are versatile and practical, especially to the researcher, in that they
identify present needs. In the opinion of Fraenkel & Wallen (2000) the purpose of
descriptive research is to observe, describe and document aspects of a phenomenon
as it naturally occurs. In descriptive research the events or conditions either already
exist or have occurred and the researcher merely selects the relevant variables for
analysis of their relationship.

Geographical context of Hohoe District

Hohoe District was created in 1979 after being taken out of Jasikan and Kpandu
District Councils. The first schedule of the Law 1462 that established the present
Hohoe District Assembly lists out the number of settlements that comes under its
jurisdiction. The major ethnic groups in the district are Ewes, Akpafu/Lolobi,
Santrokofi, Likpe, Logba, Tafi and Nyagbo. The multiplicity of languages from these
various ethnic groups makes it difficult for inclusive education to be achieved. What
must be done is the provision of necessary services that would assist the teacher to
cater for the learning needs of children from these various settlements including
persons with disabilities.
 646 M. A. Ocloo and M. Subbey

Table 1. Teaching staff position in the Hohoe District

Level Number of teachers Teacher/student ratio

Kindergarten 385 1:14

Primary 803 1:26
Junior Secondary School 506 1:17
Senior Secondary School 144 1:15
Teacher-training colleges 53 1:4
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Technical education 40 1:9

The District houses part of the Akwapim-Togo ranges extending beyond the
countrys eastern boundary all the way to Western Nigeria. These ranges are the east-
ern part of the Voltaian basin, aligning on the south-west and north-east axis. Within
these ranges is the Afadjato the highest elevation in Ghana (880.30 m). A number
of communities are located at the hill tops and can hardly be reached by a motor
vehicle. Another important feature is the Volta Lake at the southern end of the
district. The resources of the Volta Lake in respect of fishing and the lake transport
facility need to be tapped through Kpando district and/or at the southern end of the
district at Kpeve and Have areas.
Considering the Educational sector, the teaching staff position in the District gives
a summary of the number of teachers and teacher/student ratio (Table 1).
A further analysis makes an interesting revelation for the Junior Secondary Schools.
The sector has an average of 6.25 teachers to a school and by the standards of Ghana
Education Service, the minimum requirement of five to a school, has been met for all
schools. The issue, however, is that the required number of teachers are in the arts.
Technical Skills, Mathematics and Science fields have not been met in the JSS
Schools and this affects educational standards in the District.
An analysis of the BECE results does not depict an encouraging situation
(Table 2). It is therefore incumbent upon the District Assembly and all stakeholders
to make a conscious effort to improve upon educational standards in the district.

Table 2. Basic Education Certificate Examination results, 2000

Number Category Number Percentage

1 Number of schools presented 86

2 Number of candidates presented 2531
3 Total passes 1115 44.1
4 Total failures 1390 54.9
5 Male passes 645 57.8
6 Female passes 470 42.2
7 Number absent 22 0.9
8 Number cancelled 4 0.1
 Perception of basic education school teachers towards inclusive education in Ghana 647

Sampling technique
The sample is basically the subset of the population. According to Strydon and De
Vos (1998), a sample is a subset of measurement drawn from a population in which
the researcher is interested. For this study, purposive sampling technique was
employed. According to Mason (1996), in the broadest sense, sampling technique
and selection are principles and procedures used to identify, choose and gain access
to relevant units, which will be used for data generation by any method. The study
seeks to replicate a similar study conducted earlier in Accra with a similar approach
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in order to see whether there is any significant difference in the results of this earlier
research and what pertains in the Hohoe District of Ghana.

Approach/findings of the study

A combined survey with qualitative approach to data collection was employed for the
study. During the survey, teachers who agreed to a personal interview were asked
questions. A total of 100 Basic schoolteachers from ten inclusive Project schools using
the Integrated Education Programme model completed a 20-item Attitudes Towards
Inclusive Education Africa Scale. The teachers were made up of 40 females and
60 males. This gender pattern emerged because many female teachers were unwilling
to volunteer information relevant to the study.
Results show that teachers are well predisposed towards inclusive education in the
district. They reported being informed about inclusion by the Free Compulsory
Universal Basic Education Policy of the Ghana Education Service. This policy is
supervised by the Directorate of Special Education under the Ministry of Education.
However, responding to the main questions, it came to light that as much as 65%
of the respondents expressed misgivings about inadequate resources. Respondents
also described negative attitudes by some teachers who just paid lip service to the
programme and displayed apathy towards giving support to the disabled children in
their schools. They lamented about large class size, which always posed insurmount-
able challenges to effective teaching. Other teachers drew attention to the fact that
proper training was not provided for effective implementation of inclusive education
in the district. In the light of these findings, the researchers wish to make the following
suggestions:
In-Service courses should be conducted regularly for regular teachers as a way of
sharpening their skills in handling children with disabilities in schools.
There is the need to train more specialized teachers in order to assign them to
regular schools to support non-specialized teachers in teaching children with
disabilities.
Government and other stakeholders need to provide specialized equipment and
other related services to all-inclusive schools in order to strengthen them in their
service delivery efforts.
The central government and District Assemblies should provide more funding and
commitment for effective implementation of the inclusive education programme.
 648 M. A. Ocloo and M. Subbey

Limitations
Some of the respondents did not have any background training in special education.
This might have affected the accuracy of their response regarding inclusive education.
In spite of this limitation, the majority of respondents demonstrated some level of
knowledge in special education which might have added to the validity and reliability
of the study.
Some of the respondents defaced and mutilated some of the questionnaires given
out to them. This made it strenuous for the researcher to make out some of the
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responses given by the respondents.

Suggestions for further research

This study was limited to only some regular schools in the Hohoe District. A compar-
ative study of the responses of regular school teachers across at least two Districts
could produce more in depth views on the perception of teachers towards inclusion
in regular schools.

Conclusion
The study revealed that the basic school teachers in the Hohoe District were exposed
to the policy of inclusive education. In spite of the exposure, the study showed that
there were hampering factors to the policy implementation consisting of inadequate
facilities available for the teachers to implement the policy of inclusion and a lack of
adequate training for teachers to equip them with how to educate disabled students
in their classrooms. It was also found out that the Ghana Education Service and other
stakeholders did not provide support services for the effective implementation of
inclusion. The researchers suggested that the Ghana Education Service must provide
regular in-service training to the teachers for them to know how to meet the learning
needs of the disabled. Moreover, suggestions have been raised for Government and
other stakeholders to provide equipment and other facilities for easy implementation
of inclusive education in Ghana.

Note
1. Editors note on language: terms for cognitive disability (CD) or intellectual impairment (II)
vary. While CD or II are the preferred terminology of the Editors, we acknowledge that mental
retardation is still currently used in Ghana. Likewise, although the term general education is
preferred to regular education (implying irregular education for students with disabilities) in
Western language and scholarship, we recognize that the latter is currently used in Ghana.

Notes on contributors
Mark Anthony Ocloo is Ghanaian by birth and was born on 29 November 1957 at
Ho in the Volta Region of Ghana. His first degree was in Special Education from
 Perception of basic education school teachers towards inclusive education in Ghana 649

the University of Education, Winneba, and his Second Degree from the Univer-
sity of Cape Coast and the East Washington University. He is currently a Senior
Lecturer in the Department of Special Education, University of Education,
Winneba. He specialized in Education for the Visually Impaired. He published
research works both internationally and locally, and his area of interest is the
preparation of materials for the blind and visually impaired.
Michael Subbey is Ghanaian by birth and was born on 7 April 1974 at Michel Camp,
Tema, in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. His first degree was in Educational
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Foundations from the University of Cape Coast and he is currently pursuing his
Second Degree in Special Education at the University of Education, Winneba.
His areas of interest are inclusive education and the psychology of human devel-
opment and learning. He is currently a Graduate Assistant at the University of
Education, Winneba, and a Senior Tutor in the Department of Education Stud-
ies, St Francis Training College, Hohoe.

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