Exploring the Impact of an Inclusive Curriculum on the Academic Performance among Secondary School Students with Special Education

Abstract

The concept of inclusive education is predominantly to offer the same, highly rated educational experiences to those students who have SEN as others who do not and have them study together in general classes. For one, the national policy has continued to affirm that there be an inclusive curriculum, however, it has proven difficult to get the practical implementation of such curriculum. Objective of the research seeks to examine the effects of the inclusive curriculum on SEN students' achievement when they are in the inclusive classroom setting at the secondary level, in Shandong Province. Research design using case study. The participants, numbering five characterized by the following composition: five students, five educational instructors, and five parents used a qualitative case study research method to gather data through one on one interviews and focus groups interviews. For findings, based on the thematic analysis of the collected data, three major themes were identified. Each of the themes was then subdivided into 13 sub-themes. Theme 1: Effective learning strategies and teaching methods. Theme 2: Personalized learning. Theme 3: Feedback and continuous assessment. The findings indicated practical experience and peer cooperation as the main factors for higher student motivation, better understanding, and better results. Only a few participants disagreed with the necessity of personalized education, multi-sensory education, and positive reinforcement in the cognitive and self-development of SNE learners. The findings indicate that raising teachers' competence, use of available resources, and parents' involvement in marginalized communities are the most practical ways to make a difference. It suggests that inclusive education can give good results only if it gets a global and united investment and support from the entire system.