Have we bothered to ask? Exploration of the attitude of teachers toward participating in inclusive education research

TL;DR

This study explores why teachers in Ghana refuse to participate in inclusive education research, highlighting issues like lack of financial gain and bad past experiences.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into barriers to teacher participation in inclusive education research in sub-Saharan Africa.

Findings

Participants refused due to lack of financial gain and direct benefit.

Bad experiences with previous research discouraged participation.

Lack of time was a common reason for non-participation.

Abstract

The importance of research cannot be overemphasized. Research findings serve as a guide for the enactment of development policies and legislation. However, not all members of the target population willingly participate in a study. The current study explored the reasons why some individuals refused to partake in inclusive education research in a developing country, Ghana. The journaling helped to capture the voices of 87 participants who refused to take part in a larger inclusive education survey study.

The study found that the participants did not take part in the research because of reasons such as lack of financial gain, bad experience with previous research, lack of direct benefit, and lack of time. The findings of the study and its implication for policymaking in Ghana and research studies in sub-Saharan Africa are discussed.