Investigation of science teaching for inclusion primary school students in terms of teachers' views

Inclusive education is an inclusive approach that enables students with special needs to receive education together with their peers. This model aims to support the social, emotional and academic development of individuals. Science course, on the other hand, contributes to students' making sense of their environment by providing scientific thinking skills. Since science teaching in inclusive classrooms requires working with students with different learning needs, teachers' knowledge, skills and attitudes play a decisive role in the success of this process. Teachers' experiences, difficulties encountered in practice and strategies developed directly affect the quality of inclusive education. In this context, this study aims to examine the experiences of primary school teachers regarding the science teaching process, the difficulties they encounter and their solutions. Case study method, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. The study group of the research consisted of a total of 22 classroom teachers working in 11 different primary schools in Bolu city centre who had inclusion students in their classrooms. The data were collected through a semi-structured interview form created by the researchers. The collected data were analysed by content analysis method. The findings of the study revealed that teachers encountered problems such as material inadequacy, distraction, mobility and time constraints in teaching science to students with special needs. In the processes of concretising abstract concepts and adapting activities according to individual needs, teachers stated that they experienced deficiencies in terms of both resources and support training. Teachers stated that they could not get enough information about the student's learning process at home and that this negatively affected the individualised education programme preparations. In conclusion, this study reveals that teaching science to students with special needs is a challenging process for teachers and that support for teachers should be increased in order to make this process more efficient.