An investigation on the opinions of class and guidance teachers about the challenges in mainstream education

In this study, it is aimed to determine the opinions and suggestions of the classroom teachers and guidance counselors working in primary schools in Istanbul regarding the difficulties they experience in inclusive education. In the study in which the case study model, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was used; Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven classroom teachers who have inclusion students in their classroom and six guidance counselors who are inclusion students in their school. By applying content analysis to the data obtained from the interviews, the main themes and sub-themes were formed and the findings were reached. The results of the research show that some classroom teachers prepare the individualized education program (IEP) with the help of the guidance counselor, the school administration does not have enough information about inclusive education and they have difficulty in gaining academic skills, finding and adapting appropriate materials for mainstreaming students because the classrooms are crowded. Counselors state that the plans made by those involved in IEP development remain on paper, all responsibilities regarding IEP are assigned to them, and the school administration does not cooperate on inclusion. In addition, both the classroom teachers and the guidance counselors stated that the communication and cooperation they established with the institutions where the student received support education was one-sided and they did not receive any feedback about the student. The fact that families cannot accept their children's inadequacy and do not have sufficient knowledge about mainstream education is another finding that makes cooperation difficult for classroom and guidance counselors. Based on the findings of the research, it is recommended to provide in- service training for both primary school teachers and counselors during and after the undergraduate education on mainstream education, to organize informative seminars for families about mainstream education, and to ensure the necessary cooperation among those involved in IEP development.