Assessments of Teachers and Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities on Inclusion in Pre-School Institutions

In an inclusive context, all children learn and play in kindergartens according to their abilities and interests. Educators, professional associates and parents, as equal participants in the educational process, apply a series of procedures that encourage children’s development. The aim of this research is to identify the assessments of educators and parents of children with developmental disabilities and inclusive education and education in preschool institutions in general. The research was conducted in September 2023 on a sample of 58 educators and 48 parents of children with developmental disabilities who attended regular kindergartens in the Kikinda area (Serbia). Educators’ and parents’ assessments were examined using a combined instrument (Scaler – IPE) (a = .915) constructed for the purposes of this research. The results of the research show that educators have more positive assessments of general issues related to inclusion and the effects of inclusive education on children’s development, while parents have slightly more positive assessments than educators regarding the procedures applied in regular kindergartens to improve inclusive education. This confirms the general assumption from which the research started, indicating significant differences in the assessments of educators and parents of children with developmental disabilities about inclusion in preschool institutions. It is concluded that the inclusive culture has not yet sufficiently taken root in preschool institutions yet, which indicates the need to include educators and parents as actors in preschool education and training in joint training programs for effective action in inclusive preschool education.