Browsing Department of Educational Psychology and Curriculum Studies by Subject "Coping Strategies, Disabilities, Inclusion, Inclusive Education, Tanzania."
The quest for equal access, participation and success in education for persons with
disabilities is paramount in today’s global education context, and Tanzania is no exception. Since
the ages of “denial” to “full inclusion”, educating students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms
has had been responded differently by teachers and students alike across countries. Confronted by
different challenges in their education, students with disabilities are to devise mechanisms to excel
in such restrictive learning environments. Informed by interpretive research traditions with
59 purposefully selected participants, this paper explores challenges that students with disabilities
are faced with and coping strategies used by these students in their schooling in two inclusive
secondary schools in Tanzania. The findings indicate that, students with disabilities are faced with
challenges which are teacher and environment-related. Consequently, the students with disabilities
use complaints, assistance seeking, self-initiatives, isolation and despair, and assertiveness to cope
with the challenges. The study concludes that; educational stakeholders should work
collaboratively in order to lessen the impact of the restrictive nature of learning environments for
students with disabilities. The paper recommends on improved teacher preparation and continued
professional development in order to cater for the learning needs of students with disabilities in
inclusive schools.