Uncovering cultural regularities underpinning the pedagogy of learners with disabilities

Abstract

BACKGROUND : Fear of disability tends to influence teachers’ pedagogical practices in early childhood education in Ghana. Deeply rooted in socio-cultural beliefs, this fear hinders inclusive education and perpetuates exclusionary practices. AIM : This article explores the fear of disability within Ghanaian early childhood education, as an instance of Ghanaian and West African cultural practices manifesting in and through teachers’ classroom activities, which constrain the effective learning and development of learners with disabilities. Setting: The research was conducted with teachers from seven early childhood education centres in Accra, Ghana. METHOD : We applied focus group interviews, integrating a local conversational approach to enhance the effectiveness of our Vygotsky-inspired authentic questioning method. Using an approach that embodies respect, mutual acknowledgement, and affirmation of each other’s humanity, the first author was able to uncover the profound cultural meanings of the teachers’ practices, which would otherwise have been difficult to reveal through a rigid application of formal methods. RESULTS : The findings promote cultural contingency of methods as tools for uncovering the dynamic structure of cultural processes, such as fear of disability, that underpin complex social practices of the pedagogy of learners with disabilities. CONCLUSION : The article provides an analysis of the data and the process through which data was produced, leading to the uncovering of the underlying culturally situated regulatory processes vis-à-vis the teachers’ relationship with learners with disabilities. CONTRIBUTION : The paper contributes to the application of informal methods of inquiry, informed by both theory and practice in cultural psychology and education.