‘Where Art Thou’ in the implementation of inclusive education? Parental assessment of practices

The important role of parents in efforts to promote accessible education for all children cannot be overemphasized. However, the current literature has mainly focused on parental perceptions of the implementation of inclusive education without extending the discussion to the effectiveness of inclusive practices in schools. Ainscow and Miles developed an inclusive education measurement model which was used in the current research as a framework for studying parental assessments of inclusive practices in schools in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. A total of 550 parents completed a survey on inclusive education. The results were then subjected to confirmatory factor and moderation analyses using SPSS AMOS, as well as multivariate analysis of variance using SPSS, to understand the association between parents’ profiles and measurement indicators. The findings indicate interrelationships between the inclusive education measurement indicators (concept, policy, structure and system, and practice). In addition, parents’ country of origin was used as a moderator and was demonstrated to have an effect on the relationship between child type, inclusive policy and all the indicators. The study concludes with the recommendation that policymakers should consider each of the indicators in future reforms towards inclusive education.