Teachers' and Students' Experiences on the Implementation of Individualized Education Programme for Students with Visual Impairments in Inclusive Secondary Schools
Abstract
This study explored the experiences of teachers and students in implementing Individualized Education Programmes (IEPs) for students with visual impairment in Tanzania. The study employed a qualitative approach under case study design, situated at Shinyanga Secondary School in Kishapu district. A total of nineteen participants involved, including five special education teachers participated through interview and fourteen students with visual impairment participated through focus group discussion. The participants were selected purposively depending on their experiences in inclusive secondary school. The thematic analysis was used to analyse the data inductively. The study revealed three significant themes as experienced by the participants: the identification of the learning needs of students with visual impairment (VI), strategies to meet VI learning needs, and challenges during the implementation of the IEPs. The study found inadequate implementation of IEPs from the selected school due to several challenges, including informal strategies in identifying students with VI, irregular training for the IEP team and inadequacy of teachers of special education to accommodate the available students with VI. The study suggests that the identification of students with visual impairment needs to be formalized, regular knowledge updates for the IEP team, and a reduced workload for special education teachers. Although this research is confined to a single-school study, the findings can be used as a benchmark for the schools that face similar situations regarding IEP implementation
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Copyright (c) 2024 Elias Erasto, Amani Mwakalapuka, PhD, Benedicto Msangya, PhD
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