Inclusive education in Delhi: Understating teachers' perspectives and beliefs

Abstract

This study examines the perceptions and beliefs of general education teachers about the inclusion of students with disabilities (SWDs) in regular education classrooms. Using hermeneutic phenomenology as a methodological framework, this qualitative study primarily uses observations and interviews to examine teachers’ perceptions related to inclusive education in Delhi, India. The findings suggest that: (1) Sociocultural ideologies on disability have affected the education of SWDs, and (2) systematic institutional barriers have led teachers to accept inclusion only "in theory".