Opinions of school administratives on the applicability of integration in Turkey (Duzce province example)

The purpose of this research is to determine the opinions of school administrators on integration practices. For this purpose, 20 school administrators working in 20 state public schools were interviewed. The professional experience of the administrators participating in the study varies between 6 and 21 years. Interviews were held between 13 and 32 minutes. The research was planned according to the qualitative design and was organized in accordance with the phenomenology pattern. The data obtained through semi-structured interviews were analyzed using the tumouruum technique. Research findings are divided into 17 main themes and 148 sub-themes. According to the findings obtained as a result of the research, most of the administrators stated that integrating cannot be applied when we consider today's schools and schools do not have the conditions to be applied. It was stated by the participants that many studies were carried out in schools for integrating practices, but these studies were not based on a system and plan. It has been stated by the participants that there are problems such as the high number of students that prevent the successful implementation of the integration application in our schools, the high number of schools that center academic success, and the teachers' lack of sufficient knowledge and equipment in this field. In the interviews with the school administrators, it was found that if the integration practices are successfully implemented, the students with normal development will show improvement in the case of empathy, respect for differences and facilitating their social adaptation. The participants stated that thanks to the integration application, the development of communication skills of students with special needs, the acceleration of their learning by modelling, the facilitation of their social adaptation and the reduction of behavioral problems. In the research, it was concluded that in order for the integration practices to be successful, the physical areas of the schools should be expanded, the school social areas should be increased quantitatively and qualitatively, and the schools and classrooms should be made suitable for student health and safety by making the necessary inspections by experts every year. It was stated by the administrators that eliminating the physical and equipment deficiencies of the schools alone would not be sufficient for a successful integration process. In order for integration practices to be successful, teachers, administrators and parents should make practices considering that students with special needs also have educational rights and that their education in general education schools is very beneficial for students with special needs. It is the findings of the research that teachers and administrators should be good leaders in order for students with normal development and students with special needs to get the maximum benefit from this application.