Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions on Procedures to Identify and Assess Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities: The Case of Tutors’ of Colleges of Education in Ghana

Abstract

The study aimed at exploring the perceptions tutors in Colleges of Education have on how the Colleges of Education Curriculum adequately prepare pre-service teachers to enable them identify and assess children with special educational needs and disabilities for effective inclusive education in Ghana. A descriptive survey design was adopted and the purposive sampling technique used to select three of the ten regions of the country. Out of the three regions, 13 Colleges of Education were purposively selected and the convenience sampling technique used to select 235 tutors. Percentages and frequencies were used as statistical tools to analyse the research data generated from questionnaire instrument. The findings revealed that 119(53.36%) of the respondents agreed that the curriculum enables pre-service teachers to identify various categories of children. Respondents who agreed that the curriculum teaches pre-service teachers how to screen were 73(32.74%), while 86(38.57%) agreed that the curriculum teaches pre-service teachers how to seek for parental consent before referral. Only 13(5.83%) agreed that the curriculum exposes pre-service teachers to the various assessment centres in Ghana where children who are suspected to have disabilities can be referred to. There were 44(19.73%) who agreed with the statement that the curriculum enables pre-service teachers to develop Individualised Education Programme for children with special educational needs and disabilities. On the basis of the findings, some recommendations were made for tutors of the Colleges of Education to clarify identification and assessment procedures to pre-service teachers when teaching. This will prepare them for inclusive education in the country.

Keywords: Identification and assessment, Pre-service teachers. Tutors, Inclusive education, Ghana