Phenomenological Study on the Relationships Among Inclusive Education Practitioners in Kindergarten

The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship structure among general education teachers, special education teachers, and special education assistants coexisting in kindergartens. The study participants consisted of a total of 12 education practitioners from four different kindergartens, each of which provided a team of three participants: one general education teacher, one special education teacher, and one special education assistant. Through observations and interviews with these participants, the study revealed patterns of interaction and instances of role conflict among inclusive education practitioners. This result was phenomenologically reinterpreted, revealing the unique relationship forms among inclusive education practitioners and their modes of existence according to the magnitude of power, which were hidden phenomena not easily exposed. Inclusive education practitioners existed in kindergarten in different ways, each according to the structurally predetermined magnitude of power within their unique relationship forms. In this study, the relationship structure of inclusive education practitioners was elucidated by revealing their relationship forms and modes of existence according to the magnitude of power, within the experience of interactions and conflicts among inclusive education practitioners. This study is meaningful in that it suggested the direction of future inclusive education based on this result.