Attitudes of Primary Students in Kuwait Toward the Inclusion of Peers with Disabilities in Mainstream Schools

Inclusive education has become a focal point in educational reform, particularly in countries like Kuwait, where efforts to integrate students with disabilities in mainstream settings are relatively new. This study addresses a gap in the literature by exploring the voices of young students in a Kuwaiti mainstream primary school, an area that remains under-researched in the context of inclusion. Specifically, this qualitative interpretive case study examines the attitudes of three non-disabled primary school students toward the inclusion of their peers with disabilities. The study utilized a focus group discussion (FGD) with the three students, each aged between 8 and 10 years. The FGD included prompts that encouraged students to discuss their views on friendship, empathy, collaboration, and sharing with peers with disabilities. Data was analyzed through coding, categorizing, and thematic analysis to capture key perspectives. The findings reveal that the students hold overwhelmingly positive attitudes towards inclusion, with specific themes of empathy, openness to friendship, willingness to collaborate, and a strong sense of fairness emerging from their responses. This study contributes uniquely to the literature by providing insights from a student-centered perspective on inclusive education in Kuwait, highlighting the importance of fostering inclusive attitudes from a young age to support the successful inclusion of students with disabilities in mainstream schools.