Representation of children with special needs in preschool classrooms: A mixed methods research

This study, which investigates the representation of children with special needs in preschool classrooms, was carried out with an exploratory sequential mixed methods design. In the first qualitative phase, in-depth interviews were conducted with teachers working in public schools in Ankara, and data were analyzed with content analysis. Based on the results of the qualitative study, the Representation of Children with Special Needs Survey was developed in the intermediate phase. In the quantitative phase, data were collected from 264 teachers working in public schools in 12 cities at Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics Level 1 throughout the survey, and data were analyzed descriptively. As a result, there is a limited representation of children with special needs in the physical environment of preschool classrooms as the materials, picture books, and visuals in the practices related to individual differences such as inviting guests with special needs and talking about successful individuals with special needs. Practices to represent children with special needs in schools are only applied on special days related to special needs, and a systematic program promoting interaction between children with and without special needs is not implemented. Teachers explained the reason for limited representation as a lack of knowledge, awareness, and skills. There are challenges in the engagement of both children with and without special needs due to communication or social skill deficiencies and a lack of interest in activities. Teachers expressed they work to ensure all children's engagement, but they mostly work with children with special needs individually.