Teachers’ access to professional development in inclusive education: an exploration of the Ghanaian context

The implementation of inclusive education appears to have stalled in secondary schools in Ghana, coupled with the fact that there is a dearth of literature on teachers’ access to PD in inclusive education. This study adopted the complexity system professional development (PD) model as a conceptual framework to explore the experiences of stakeholders in relation to teachers’ access to PD opportunities in inclusive education. This qualitative study draws on a purposive sample of 37 participants consisting of school leaders, special educators and teachers from both public and private secondary schools recruited in a region in Ghana. A semi-structured interview guide was developed, and data were collected via face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions. Although the majority of the participants indicated that their pre-service teacher education exposed them to inclusive education, only a few felt that this training adequately prepared them to adopt inclusive pedagogical skills to address the diversity of learning needs in the classroom. At the individual teacher, learning activity and school and system support levels, the participants recounted major barriers to PD accessibility in inclusive education. We also discuss the implications of the study for policymaking.