ISSN 3062-262X

Investigation of School Counselors Attitudes and Opinions Towards Inclusive Education

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Nurettin YILMAZ, Deniz AKDAL

Abstract

This research is a qualitative study that aims to examine the perceptions, attitudes and opinions of school counselors towards inclusive education. In this research, which was carried out within the framework of the phenomenological design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight school counselors working in schools in 2023. The obtained data were analyzed by content analysis method and as a result of the analysis; Four themes were identified: perception and experiences, role and interaction, individualized education program and problems.The findings reveal that the undergraduate and in-service training processes of school counselors are not at the desired level in terms of inclusive practices and that the lack of practical knowledge limits effective inclusion practices. It is seen that the participants take on multidimensional roles both directly with the student and indirectly with the teachers and parents in the inclusion process. However, the inadequacy of the number of consultants, the limitation of physical conditions and the weakness of cooperation between stakeholders negatively affect the effectiveness of the process. The findings of the research show that teacher training programs and in-service trainings should be updated, the quality of their practices should be increased and the roles of school counselors should be strengthened in order to maintain inclusive education in a more functional way.

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