Assessment of school leadership and quality of inclusive practices in early childhood education in the United Arab Emirates

Discussions at the World Early Childhood Conference in 2022 suggested that children from vulnerable backgrounds are excluded from accessing early childhood education. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE) context, although leadership is pivotal in this discourse in extending early childhood education to all children, there is a lack of empirical studies on the perspectives of school leaders regarding the implementation of inclusive education for all children. In view of this, the current study explored the relationship between heuristic leadership and the quality of inclusive practices. This study was guided by two conceptual models, namely the heuristic inclusive education framework and Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model. One hundred and fifty-one public school leaders, recruited across the UAE, completed a survey employing the Quality Scale of Inclusive School Development and the Heuristic Inclusive Education Leadership Scale. The data were subjected to correlation, hierarchical and moderation analysis. The results showed ambivalence among the participants regarding both heuristic leadership and inclusive practices; however, a positive relationship was found between them. The study recommends that policymakers reflect on heuristic leadership and inclusive system development in early childhood education reform in the UAE.