Bridging the gap: special educators’ perceptions of their professional roles in supporting inclusive education in Kazakhstan

Abstract

As Kazakhstan joins the worldwide movement towards inclusive education, many students with special educational needs and disability in Kazakhstan continue to be educated in segregated settings. The role of key stakeholders such as special educators (defectologists), are important in the process of educational reform, and their attitudes may support or hinder the progress. Six special educators were voluntarily recruited to participate in one-on-one interviews in this case study research, concerning their perceptions about their role within current inclusive education reforms. The participants in this study perceived their role as solely teaching students with special educational needs and disabilities within the main specialization of a special educator. However, special educators in Kazakhstan understand disability as a dialectical concept, where biological and social factors are intertwined. Thus, their understanding of the importance of removing environmental and broader societal attitudinal barriers for individuals with special needs may present a valuable resource for change.

Points of interest

• This article concerns the educational reforms in inclusive education in the Republic of Kazakhstan, in Central Asia.

• Special educators known as defectologists play a significant role in supporting the educational needs of students with disability. The way that special educators understand disability influences their attitudes and practices. It will have bearing on the support they provide, the way they view their responsibilities as professionals, as well as the professional opinions that they share with their colleagues, the child’s parents, and other stakeholders.

• The profession of defectology in the Soviet and post-Soviet context may be misunderstood by Western researchers. Researchers in inclusive education may avoid or overlook the field of ‘defectology’ because it appears to adopt a deficit approach and be heavily medicalised.

• Until widespread changes are made into adopting new terminology in this field, future research into special education in Kazakhstan, may overlook the influence of special educators as key stakeholders. Researchers should be encouraged to see beyond the terminology to look deeper into the attitudes and practices of special educators in the Kazakhstani and Central Asian context.

Keywords:

• Inclusive education
• special educators
• defectology
• Kazakhstan

Acknowledgements

A great thank you goes to all the research participants who shared their thoughts and opinions with me. I am also grateful to my professors and colleagues at Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education for their invaluable support and guidance throughout this journey.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.