Pre-primary teachers’ understanding and implementation of inclusive pedagogy for literacy acquisition in Tanzania

• Teachers seemed to have a limited understanding of implementing inclusive education and pedagogy. • Cultural strategies and contextual teaching materials facilitated literacy acquisition. • Teachers’ contextual inclusive pedagogy supports literacy learning for all. • Teachers’ professional development programs are needed when implementing inclusive pedagogy. Teachers as key actors play key role in implementing inclusive education in early childhood education. This study examines pre-primary teachers’ understanding of inclusive education and pedagogy and its implementation for literacy acquisition in diverse classrooms. Thirty teachers from 16 pre-primary schools in Tanzania were interviewed, and the data were analysed using content analysis and inductive reasoning. The study revealed that teachers had varied understandings of inclusive education and pedagogy for literacy acquisition. Some viewed inclusive education as education for all without segregation, and inclusive pedagogy (IP) as a set of strategies to support inclusion by addressing students’ diverse learning needs. Others were unfamiliar with these concepts and lacked standardized strategies for identifying learners’ needs. In implementing inclusive pedagogy, teachers emphasized the use of teaching materials and environments, differentiation and individual support, lesson assessment and feedback, collaborative and participatory learning, and emotional pedagogical love as inclusive strategies for teaching literacy to diverse learners. This work calls for professional development programmes on inclusive pedagogy for pre-primary teachers and the provision of proper teaching and assistive resources for learners with diverse literacy needs. Furthermore, structured inclusive pedagogy frameworks and practical guidelines should be integrated into teachers’ education curricula and pre-primary education policies to create a more inclusive early childhood education for literacy acquisition.