Inclusive education in higher education institution: Are Ukrainian faculty members’ ready for it?

Inclusion in higher education in Ukraine

As an independent country, Ukraine has ratified the main international documents in the field of human rights, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2009), the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), and has obligations to observe universal human rights in order to ensure equal educational opportunities for all without discrimination or exclusion, and to promote a human rights-based approach to education. To achieve this, Ukraine has a responsibility to follow the principles of these values, support the Conventions at the legislative level and implement these rights, principles and values at all levels of education. In 2010, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, which oversees universities, approved the Concept of Inclusive Education Development. Since 2010-2011, inclusive education has been launched in some experimental secondary schools in the Zaporizhzhya region. In 2015-2016, approximately 4000 students with disabilities were enrolled in secondary schools, and at the beginning of 2018-2019, this number reached almost 12,000 pupils (Radio Svoboda, 2022). Currently, the first graduates of inclusive classes have entered HEI, and in 5 years we expect a large number of applicants with disabilities in HEI.

In Ukraine, the right to receive quality higher education is defined by the Constitution (Constitution of Ukraine, 2020, Article 53), the Law “On Education” (Law of Ukraine, 2014, Article 19), and “On Higher Education” (Law of Ukraine, 2014, Article 32, Article 62). According to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, inclusive education has been introduced in higher education institutions only since the 2019-2020 academic year. The implementation and dissemination of the practice of inclusive education in Ukraine (HEI) is regulated by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine “On the procedure for organization of inclusive education in higher education institutions” as of July 10, 2019. Access to higher education for students with disabilities is considered an important quality indicator of Ukrainian HEI activity during the accreditation of educational programs. The Regulations on the Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Training of Students (2019) state that HEIs must create sufficient conditions for persons with disabilities to realize their right to education during training in educational programs. According to Ukrainian legal norms regarding the organization of inclusive education for students with disabilities, HEIs must ensure (Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, 2019):

• The creation of an inclusive learning environment for HEIs.

According to the Ordinance of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine “On the procedure for organizing inclusive education in HEI” (Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, 2019), the inclusive learning environment of HEIs should contain three components (Figure 1).OPEN IN VIEWER

However, the practical implementation of legislative and regulatory initiatives for the organization of inclusive education in the actual educational practice of HEI is quite slow. The modern learning environment is focused on students with normative development and almost does not take into account the features of students with disabilities (Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine Inclusive learning, 2022). In particular, as of January 1, 2020, 19,345 students with disabilities have studied in inclusive classes, which is 7 times more than 5 years ago.

The approach to inclusive education in HEI differs from that implemented in secondary schools, where inclusive education is quite successfully implemented in the educational process (Bielik et al., 2022; Kolupayeva et al., 2014; Lutsan et al., 2020). The differences between the implementation of inclusive education in secondary schools and higher education institutions can be explained by a certain set of factors (Bilavych et al., 2022; Kovtoniuk et al., 2022). In general, it can be represented as:

• Time: The introduction of inclusive education in secondary schools began in 2010-2011, while in higher education institutions, this experience was only centrally implemented from 2019.

This situation is not only typical for the Ukrainian education system, as inclusive education was originally created for elementary school students in different countries. Gradually, a significant number of students with disabilities have shown a desire to continue their education, making it logical to implement and develop inclusive education in higher education institutions (Salha and Albadawi, 2021). In the 2019-2020 academic year, 1312 students with disabilities were learning in higher education institutions (Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine Inclusive Learning, 2022). Therefore, it is possible to predict a rapid increase in the number of students with disabilities in higher education institutions over the next 5-10 years due to the introduction of inclusive education at all levels of education, particularly in the secondary school system. The situation may be complicated by an acquired disability resulting from the war with the Russian Federation, but this issue should be carefully studied in further research.

The development and implementation of inclusive education in HEI are primarily connected to the insufficient readiness of the participants of the educational process, management, and support staff. However, faculty members play a fundamental role in promoting inclusion in HEI (Márquez and Melero-Aguilar, 2022). We share the opinion that the practical implementation of the key ideas of inclusion largely depends on the faculty members. Through the use of best practices and the creation of a learning environment, they influence interactions not only at the level of “faculty member-student” but also in certain ways on the interactions between “student-students,” “student-management of HEI,” and “student-community.” Therefore, the willingness of faculty members to implement an inclusive approach is the main success factor in the formation of inclusive education (Alechina et al., 2011) and related practices in HEI (Gale et al., 2017; Márquez and Melero-Aguilar, 2022).

Definitely, the restructuring of the faculty members’ activities taking into account the principle of inclusive education requires some additional training, effort, and time from the faculty members themselves. To achieve this, faculty members must step out of their comfort zone for outright formation of their own inclusive competence (Khandelwal et al., 2022). On the other hand, faculty members themselves need support in this matter.

Universities can provide support through specific training for faculty members on the implementation of inclusive education, exchanging best practices, and jointly determining possible ways to solve existing problems. Specific training enables faculty to respond to the individual needs of their students with disabilities through pedagogical adjustments, flexible materials, and evaluation tools (Martins et al., 2018). This approach will give an opportunity to provide educational, organizational, psychological, and pedagogical support. In addition, the Ordinance of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine “On the Procedure for Organization of Inclusive Education in HEI” (2019) states that teaching staff must also provide social support to students with disabilities (Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, 2019). This means that faculty members should be aware of general theoretical approaches to the implementation of inclusive education, as well as best practices in educational, organizational, psychological, pedagogical, and social support for students with disabilities.

According to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, at the beginning of the 2020/2021 academic year, the faculty members of universities, academies, and institutes consisted of 135,216 people, including 111,065 scientific and pedagogical workers, 566 scientific workers, and 23,585 pedagogical workers. As of January 1, 2023, the Unified State Electronic Database on Education (EDBO) listed 736 higher education institutions with a total of 1,077,685 students enrolled in programs at the levels of “Junior Bachelor”, “Bachelor”, “Specialist”, “Master”, “Doctor of Philosophy”, and “Doctor of Arts” (State Statistics Service of Ukraine, 2019). According to the report on the Quality of Higher Education in Ukraine and its Alignment with the Objectives of Sustainable Innovative Development of Society in 2022, as of the beginning of 2023, there were 119,533 records of scientific and pedagogical workers (SPW) in the EDBO. The gender balance is shifted, with women representing the majority of SPWs (60%) (Annual Report of the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education for 2021, 2022). It should be noted that due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has been going on for more than a year, the data on the number of universities, students, and teachers is very changeable.

Level of knowledge about inclusive education in HE

The analysis of the survey results for this question involved clarifying the current level of knowledge of faculty members regarding inclusive education through their personal assessment and personalized comments. The results of the current level of knowledge were determined using quantitative methods and content analysis, and their correlation was established between the level of knowledge about inclusive education, teaching experience, experience of teaching students with disabilities, and professional category.

The results on the level of knowledge of faculty members about inclusive education are presented in Figure 2.OPEN IN VIEWER

According to the results of the questionnaire, 22.6% (n = 32) of all survey respondents declared that they knew something about inclusive education. They indicated that the problem of inclusive education was not a subject of their academic and professional interests, but they read some literature on it in the context of an implementation of inclusive learning environment for elementary schools. Surprisingly, this result was also observed among faculty members who had experience in working with students with disabilities. The participants admitted that currently the issue of implementing inclusive education in HEI at the university level is not adequately covered, there are no corresponding clear instructions and methodical recommendations for the implementation of inclusive education in HEI.

According to the opinion of the survey respondents, independent searches for answers to numerous questions remain very often remain unanswered, leading to the absence of necessary reasonable changes in the educational process when working with students with disabilities. According to this group of respondents, Ukrainian HEIs are currently focused mainly on bringing the HEI territory, buildings, structures and premises into compliance with the requirements of state construction norms, standards, and rules that meet the various needs of students and potential applicants with disabilities. It is worth noting that such a result is characteristic both for faculty members with little work experience and for the basic level of professional qualifications, and for experienced ones, professors.

Of the entire sample, 20.4% (n = 38) stated that they knew little about inclusive education. In these cases, respondents explained that they read or heard about inclusive education in scientific articles. They considered their knowledge somewhat limited and focused mainly on understanding the philosophy of inclusion. They also noted that inclusion are fashionable terms in the field of education, but it is not always clear how exactly to organize an inclusive educational process in the HEI, how to provide support to students with disabilities. This result is typical for the basic level of professional qualification and has been shown mainly by faculty members with significant work experience.

A fairly significant percentage of the survey respondents (26.9% (n = 50) indicated that they know enough about inclusive education. Some of these respondents are very well versed in the theoretical foundations of inclusion, but have difficulties with inclusive practice in the educational process. They have added that not enough information is provided on effective inclusive practices in HEI, taking into account the Ukrainian legislative framework, as well as national opportunities and conditions of HEIs.

Another percentage of the participants 16.1% (n = 30) said that they knew nothing about inclusive education. This result was observed among faculty members with little teaching experience who did not focus their attention on the availability of students with disabilities in HEI, in particular, in the groups where they teach, there are no such students.

Finally, 14.0% (n = 26) of all survey respondents noted that they knew a lot about inclusive education. These respondents stated that they are well informed not only about the theoretical foundations of inclusive education, as they have participated in professional development programs on this issue, some have their own practical work experience with children with disabilities at a previous place of work in a school, or have their own child with similar problems. This allowed them to introduce some inclusive practices into the educational process of HEI based on their own experience.

The distribution of the responses of the faculty members based on various characteristics is presented in Figure 3.OPEN IN VIEWER

The distribution of the responses, categorized by different factors, reveals that the level of knowledge regarding the theoretical foundations and principles of implementing inclusive education in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) is dependent on two factors:

• Teaching experience: the more teaching experience one has, the more knowledge they possess about inclusion;

However, the professional category of teaching staff does not have a significant impact on the level of inclusion awareness.

Level of knowledge on how to provide necessary support to students with disabilities in an inclusive learning environment of HEI

The second block of questions involved a comprehensive analysis of student support in an inclusive educational environment in higher education institutions, starting from the development of the regulatory and legal framework to the availability and full implementation of an individual educational trajectory for persons with disabilities. Faculty members were asked to assess and comment on their level of awareness regarding the existence of the regulatory and legal basis in HEIs, which defines the principles of universal design, including the availability of special structures that ensure support and monitoring of the organization of the educational space in HEIs, experience in using educational and methodological support, including adaptation and modification of the content of work programs according to the needs of students with disabilities. Taking into account that 14.0% (n = 26) of respondents confirmed the presence of students with disabilities in their HEI, it was appropriate to also analyze the main elements of an inclusive learning environment (Table 3).

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Table 3.

Elements of an inclusive learning environment.

Basic elements of an inclusive learning environment
Universal design	Individual educational trajectory for students with disabilities and adapted content of education
Barrier-free psychological environment	Availability of an individualized education program
Barrier-free physical space	Availability of an individual study plan
Availability of support measures	Adapted and modified content of curriculums for working with students with disabilities
Availability of informational and educational resources for training students with disabilities for professional activity	Using of special teaching aids, teaching-methodical and didactic support in accordance with the needs of students with disabilities
The availability of material resources necessary to ensure the quality education of students with disabilities	Availability of an evaluation system and tools

The results among the respondents indicated that 8.1% (n = 15) knew nothing about the existence of HEI local documents that regulate the functioning of inclusive education in university. And 16.1% (n = 30) of the respondents noted that they do not know at all about the existence of special structures that support and monitor the process of organizing inclusive education in the HEI where they work. This result was obtained both from faculty members with little teaching experience and a basic level of professional qualifications, and from faculty members’ with significant teaching experience and higher professional qualifications who had no experience of interacting with students with disabilities. These respondents showed a low level of awareness on the issue of an inclusive learning environment of HEI.

The absolute percentage of the sample of 75.8% (n = 141) confirmed that they knew something about the normative documents that regulate inclusive education in HEI. The interviewed faculty members’ noted that the normative legal documents of the HEI have defined and implemented the following elements of an inclusive learning environment in the educational process:

• The use of special educational tools

However, they do not have their own experience in using educational, methodological, and didactic methods to respond to the needs of students with disabilities, particularly in adapting and modifying the curriculum's content.

Considering that 14.0% (n = 26) of the faculty confirmed the presence of students with disabilities, they knew little of university local documents which regulate the organization of an inclusive learning environment and the existence of structures to support and monitor the organization of inclusive education in HEI. In particular, they have noted that they are aware of the principles of universal design that should be implemented in HEI where students with disabilities study, but they have not been able to list these principles.

Difficulties with implementing an inclusive education in HEI

The third block of questions provided the determination of the difficulties faculty members most often face in implementing an inclusive education. The study involved evaluating and ranking the most typical problems that they currently face. This was done by selecting several of the most significant obstacles and problems in the implementation of inclusive education. The study has provided an overall picture of the typical problems (Figure 4).OPEN IN VIEWER

The analysis of the data obtained allows us to state that faculty members often encounter problems during the adaptation and modification of curriculum content, methods, and forms of learning to work in an inclusive learning environment. These problems arise due to the use of specific technological resources and tools, insufficient support at the management level of the Higher Education Institution (HEI), unclear institutional policies, and difficulties in understanding the educational needs of students from different nosological groups. These problems directly affect the faculty member's responsibility to provide equal access to quality learning support services.

Interestingly, the least important problems for faculty members in implementing inclusive education are ensuring the availability of information for students with disabilities in various formats, special (alternative) means of communication with students with disabilities, and social and domestic support of students with disabilities. This may be due to a less urgent need than the organization of the inclusive education process itself.

The need for specific training in the implementation of an inclusive education in HEI

This section involves studying the request for implementing special training programs aimed at enhancing qualifications related to establishing an inclusive educational environment in higher education institutions. It also involves analyzing current requests from faculty members regarding their educational needs, course content, and psychological readiness through statistical quantitative analysis and qualitative processing of comments on current requests.

In response to the final question of the questionnaire, “To what extent do you need specific training programs on the implementation of inclusive education in HEI?”, 88.2% (n = 164) of the surveyed respondents expressed their desire to increase their awareness of inclusive practices for equal access of persons with disabilities to HEI. They also sought support in entering HEI, completing studies, and practical training. The respondents noted their interest in mastering the agreed methods and practices of learning, teaching, and evaluating, taking into account the individual characteristics of students with disabilities (Figure 5).OPEN IN VIEWER

It is important to note that the responses from faculty members regarding professional development courses varied greatly in content. For instance, 25.8% (n = 48) of faculty members with limited work experience expressed a need for advanced training courses on implementing inclusive education in HEI. However, they also noted that they lacked the psychological readiness to work with students with disabilities. This highlights the necessity of covering organizational, educational, methodological, and technical support issues of inclusive education in HEI professional development courses.

Out of the total faculty members, 14% (n = 26) who had prior experience of interacting with people with disabilities emphasized the need for the following:

• Inclusion of professional development courses in the program for faculty members that cover individual support for students with disabilities.

These categories of faculty members expressed interest in programs of professional development courses that focus on the implementation of inclusive education in HEI, despite their experience working with people with disabilities.

Another percentage of faculty members 36.6% (n = 68), who have significant teaching experience in HEI and higher professional qualifications, noted that they associate the inclusive learning environment of HEI primarily with buildings, libraries, and canteens that are adapted for people with disabilities, followed by administration, faculty members, and students.

The remaining 11.8% (n = 22) of faculty members with significant teaching experience in HEI and higher professional qualifications declared that they believe the issue of inclusive education should be resolved by special bodies in the organizational structure of HEI, and therefore do not consider it necessary to acquire additional competencies in the context of inclusive education.

The distribution of responses across different categories indicates the need for specific training for all faculty members, without excluding any category, on the implementation of inclusive education in HEI.