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Abstract

For the past 15 years (2003-2018), Ghana has followed international frameworks and taken steps to implement inclusive education. This has triggered research that seeks to assess effectiveness of practices by documenting the perspectives and experiences of key stakeholders such as parents and other educators. This study took stock of the research evidence to appraise the effectiveness of inclusive education practices, identify gaps in the literature and draw attention to areas that policymakers could strengthen to advance those practices. Adopting Ainscow and Miles’s (2009. Developing Inclusive Education Systems: How Can We Move Policies Forward) inclusive education measurement indicators as a conceptual framework, we reviewed empirical studies that have been conducted on inclusive education in Ghana since the policy was formally incorporated into the education system. Ten databases, along with manual searches in journals and the reference lists of selected articles, yielded a total of 426 studies, of which 35 satisfied the pre-determined inclusion and quality-assessment criteria. We found barriers to inclusive practices at all levels of education. Teachers in particular have not been adequately informed and supported to teach students with disabilities in regular classrooms. The implications of the findings for policymaking and future research are discussed in detail.

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Opoku, MP and Rayner, CS and Pedersen, SJ and Cuskelly, M
Keywords:	Inclusive education, scoping review, Ghana, stakeholder, policy, practices
Journal or Publication Title:	International Journal of Inclusive Education
Publisher:	Routledge
ISSN:	1360-3116
DOI / ID Number:	https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2019.1600055
Copyright Information:	Copyright 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in International Journal of Inclusive Education on 02/04/2019, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/13603116.2019.1600055
Related URLs:	Google Scholar: Rayner, CS UTAS Profile: Rayner, CS Google Scholar: Pedersen, SJ UTAS Profile: Pedersen, SJ Google Scholar: Cuskelly, M UTAS Profile: Cuskelly, M
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