Inclusive education in Ukraine: achievements, challenges, prospects

The study focuses on the development of strategies and approaches for the successful implementation of inclusive education. The importance of this research results from the fact that the Ukrainian educational space is constantly expanding. Therefore, considerable attention is paid to the provision of special education services. At the same time, the paper contains the results of the authors' own strategy, which has tasks, principles, and approaches and is divided into stages. The authors have chosen only 4 complementary approaches, the implementation of which alone will significantly impact the state of inclusive education in Ukraine. This article aims to highlight the formation of strategies and approaches to successfully implement inclusive education. The subject of the research is an inclusive educational environment. Research methods. The following research methods were used in the study: description, analysis and synthesis, comparison, generalization, and modeling. The paper is devoted to the formation of strategies and approaches to the successful implementation of inclusive education. The authors described the state of inclusive education in Ukraine in 2023. They also identified the advantages and disadvantages of inclusive education in Ukraine. In addition, the essence of the National Strategy for the Development of Inclusive Education for 2020-2030 is described. The authors defined the purpose, principles, and approaches of the program document. In addition, they described the stages of the strategy and proposed their own strategy. The article reveals the tasks, principles, approaches, and stages of the authors' original strategy. In particular, it is noted that the goals of the strategy are to increase the number of inclusive classes, expand the network of institutions providing inclusive education services, improve the quality of inclusive education, and develop inclusive education as a promising field of education. The authors outline the principles of the strategy, such as equality of access, simplicity, ease of implementation, systematicity, complexity, and scientific validity.

An important direction of society’s development is to ensure equal access of all children to education, including children with special needs. The practice of iintroducing inclusive education in early childhood educational institutions is a component of the practical implementation and protection of children’s rights and freedoms, regardless of any circumstances, including the state of health of the child. The purpose of the academic paper is to study the inclusive education and practice of preschool educational institutions for children with special educational needs in Ukraine and some European Union (EU) member states that joined EU in 2004-2017. The following methods have been used to study the practical aspects of inclusive education in preschool institutions in Ukraine and some EU countries, namely: analysis of the legal framework; method of comparative analysis; synthesis and analysis of quantitative indicators; questionnaires; systematization and generalization of statistical data. Results: Positive trends in the development and implementation of inclusive education in Ukraine have been identified, namely: the number of preschool educational institutions with inclusive groups has significantly increased, there has been a significant increase in the number of inclusive groups and children with special needs who study in groups with other children. The coverage of children with preschool educational institutions in Ukraine is only 58%, and children with special educational needs attend 28% of preschool educational institutions. At the same time, conditions for their training are created in only 25% of institutions, and the level of provision of teachers with special knowledge and skills of inclusive education is insufficient. A comparative analysis of the experience of the countries that joined EU in 2004-2017 suggests that membership in European Union has a positive impact on both preschool education in member states and the practice of inclusive education.

The article is devoted to the issues of improving the administrative and legal regulation of inclusive education in institutions of preschool education and secondary education instituions in Ukraine. Addressing this topic is certainly relevant due to the fact that, firstly, inclusive education is a new institution for Ukrainian society and a real challenge for children, teachers and the legislator. Secondly, in the science of domestic administrative law there is no comprehensive study of Ukrainian sources of law in the field of inclusive education, which would also fully identify the challenges of this field. Thirdly, administrative and legal acts in the field of inclusive education, unfortunately, do not correspond to reality, have gaps in both the field of law and in the field of pedagogy. The authors set themselves the following tasks: to analyze the sources of law governing relations arising in the field of inclusive education in Ukraine; highlight the current challenges of the inclusive education in Ukraine and make suggestions on ways to overcome them. The methodology of this article includes: the method of analysis and synthesis, the systemic and functional approach, the historical method, abstraction, the comparative method, explanations, research interviews, modeling and forecasting methods. So, the authors of the article translated and studied the legislation of the State of Israel as a progressive country in the field of inclusion. To achieve the main goal of the research it was also conducted a survey among the heads of educational institutions in the city of Odessa, where currently inclusive groups or classes are functioning. This has identified challenges such as gaps in the most legally established procedure for opening inclusive groups and classes; providing schools and kindergartens with assistants who should help educators /teachers and children with special educational needs; the question of the number of children with special educational needs in a group or class and the nature of nosologies. Having studied each of the challenges in detail, the authors proposed appropriate changes and additions to the current legislation, which are detailed in the comparative tables. The conclusions of the article can be used both in research work for the further development of Ukrainian administrative law and in national lawmaking by making appropriate changes to Ukrainian legislation and the adoption of relevant legal acts regulating important issues in the field of inclusive education.

The relevance of the addressed problem is determined by the active implementation of inclusion in educational institutions, which necessitates the training of qualified specialists capable of working in modern conditions. The purpose of the study is to examine the content of professional training for future preschool teachers at higher education institutions, with a focus on developing their readiness to work in inclusive environments. The research employed the methods of analysis, synthesis, and generalization of pedagogical experience. The regulatory framework governing inclusive education in Ukraine is examined. Based on the analysis of relevant research, the concept of «professional training of future educators» is considered a holistic, specially organized process within a higher education institution aimed at developing future specialists’ professional competencies. These competencies include knowledge, skills, abilities, personal qualities, professional expertise, and psychological readiness for effective professional activity and further professional development. The study highlights the characteristics of professional training of future preschool teachers in inclusive preschool educational institutions. We emphasize that this process is implemented comprehensively, in particular by integrating the course «Inclusive Education in a Preschool Educational Institution» into the curriculum of the educational and professional program «Preschool Education» for the first (bachelor’s) level of higher education, as well as by involving students in research activities and informal learning. The structure, purpose, and content of the developed course, which cover both theoretical and practical aspects, are highlighted. The results of this study can be used to enhance the content of academic courses and to develop preschool teachers’ professional readiness to work in inclusive educational environments.

The  essence  of  the  concepts  ‘inclusion’,  ‘inclusive  education’  has  been  revealed in the work; the emphasis has been placed on the main tasks of inclusive education in Ukraine in accordance with ratified international conventions and legislative documents that form the basis of such education,  which  is  recognized  as  one  of the priorities of the New Ukrainian School. It has been established that inclusive education,  with  the  account  of  global trends,  developments  and  experience  of implementation in Ukraine, is quite capable of effective organization to create favorable conditions for each child for their self-actualization  and  socialization  in  the natural  environment;  to  provide  qualified counseling support to a child with special needs  and  their  parents,  to  prepare  them for a full life in society, and for society to accept  a  person  with  special  needs  as  a full-fledged member. The  article  has  clarified  the  main factors  that  affect  the  interpersonal  relationships of first-graders, and the causes of conflict  situations;  the  source  of  conflict behavior of a primary school child in the conditions of inclusion has been characterized. The essence of mediation as the main preventive  and  most  effective  modern method of psychological and pedagogical support  for  resolving  interpersonal  conflicts  of  first-graders  in  inclusive  education  with  the  account  of  the  conceptual child-centered  principles  of  the  New Ukrainian School has been described.

The article is devoted to the analysis of such urgent problem as the in-clusive education in the institutions of secondary education in Cherniv-tsi region. The importance of inclusion for Ukraine and of the participa-tion of the state in solving organizational issues of inclusive education is determined. Statistical data for the period of 2011–2019 provided by in-clusive educational institutions for pupils and children of preschool age is analyzed. The importance of establishing “fundamental” secondary schools is substantiated, the dynamics of this process in Ukraine is pre-sented. The organizational principles of inclusive resource centers’ func-tioning as important institutions, which ensure the right for education to children aged 2 to 18 years are analyzed. The dynamics of involvement of teacher’s assistants, psychologists, speech therapists, social workers, oligophrenopedagogist, defectologist is presented. In the course of sur-vey conducted within the framework of Chernivtsi City educational seminar “Special child in regular school. Inclusive education” was de-termined that the attitude practitioners working in educational institu-tions is ambiguous and depends on their level of psycholo-gical and pro-fessional readiness. The main strategies of the effectiveness of inclusive education in Ukraine are determined.

The article examines specific features of creating a tolerant environment in inclusive education. The relevance of the topic is determined by the growing number of children with special educational needs in general secondary education institutions and the necessity of creating favourable conditions for their socialisation and learning. The study aims to identify the specific features of forming tolerant relationships among participants in the educational process in an inclusive learning environment. The study employs methods of scientific literature analysis, generalisation of theoretical approaches, and expert surveys of teaching staff and researchers. As a result of the study, the principal challenges of implementing inclusive education in Ukraine were identified, including insufficient staffing and material-technical provision, as well as a low level of tolerance towards children with special educational needs. It was established that the essential conditions for forming a tolerant inclusive environment include the development of a tolerant teacher’s personality, the enhancement of teaching staff’s professional qualifications, the formation of positive parental attitudes towards inclusive learning, and the establishment of collaboration with specialists in psychological and pedagogical support. Particular attention in the study is given to the analysis of theoretical approaches to understanding the concepts of «inclusion» and «inclusive education», as well as to determining their role in ensuring equal access to quality education for all pupils. It is demonstrated that inclusive learning promotes not only the educational integration of children with special educational needs but also the formation of social skills and the development of empathy, as well as mutual understanding among all participants in the educational process. The findings of the expert survey indicate that the effectiveness of forming a tolerant and inclusive educational environment depends to a considerable extent on teachers’ professional development, parents’ readiness to support inclusive learning, and collaboration among teachers, psychologists, and social workers.

The article considers and analyzes the problem of using digital technologies in the preparation of specialists in socionomic specialties to work in an inclusive educational environment. The essences of inclusive education, the regulatory framework of inclusive education in Ukraine, and socio-pedagogical and correctional work with children with special educational needs are revealed. The role of a social pedagogue, speech pathologist, and speech therapist in working with children with special educational needs in inclusive education is determined. The article considers the possibilities of using digital technologies in the work of specialists in socionomic specialties in the context of inclusive education and ways to improve the system of their training.
 The authors present an analysis of experimental research to determine the readiness of future specialists in socionomic specialties to use digital technologies in educational and professional activities. Positive and negative factors of digital technology use are determined.

The article examines the features of the implementation of the educational function of the state by providing education to persons with special educational needs. As a result of the study, it was found that the implementation of the educational function of the state for persons with special educational needs consists in creating an inclusive and special environment through financing, material and technical support, universal design and reasonable accommodation, which is based on an individual development program to ensure equal access to education adapted to their needs, and integration into society. It was found that the key areas of development of inclusive education in Ukraine include the creation of a barrier-free environment, advanced training of teachers, improvement of financing and assessment mechanisms, development of individual development programs, provision of psychological and pedagogical support (teacher assistant), involvement of parents and use of community resources to ensure equal opportunities in education for children with special educational needs. It was determined that the strategic priorities of the state in the field of inclusive education should be: 1) identification and assessment of persons with special educational needs - high-quality diagnostics of the needs of a particular education seeker; 2) ensuring the opportunity to study according to an individual program in one’s district/community; 3) increasing the level of preparedness of teachers to work with children with special educational needs and involving parents in the educational process; 4) taking advanced training courses for teachers in higher education institutions in order to study the methodology of working with relevant categories of higher education seekers; 5) improving mechanisms for financing inclusive education (introduction of public-private partnership); 6) developing an individual educational trajectory of learning and consolidating knowledge in practice; 7) introducing predictable mechanisms for employment for persons with special educational needs who are receiving professional education; 8) promoting a culture of tolerance and equality for persons with special educational needs.

The article emphasizes that social support for the family who has a child with special needs is the solution to a whole range of social problems associated with helping the child and his family: with its survival, treatment, rehabilitation, education, social adaptation and integration into society. The purpose of the article is to find out the features of social accompaniment of a child with the special needs and to define the social and pedagogical work assignments. The tasks of the article is to exposure of social problems of parents who have a child with special needs; to determin of social and pedagogical work with family, who has a child with special needs; to research theoretical bases of social accompaniment of family, which educates a child with special needs. The methodology of research is polidisciplinarny; it combines cognitive complex and personal approaches. It is stated that support for the social health of the family who has a child with special needs requires additional forms of social-pedagogical activity (except of accompaniment and counsultansy) aimed at helping parents. Social and pedagogical help of family, which educates a child with the special needs, is always family orientated practice, which is directed on child socialization. In accordance, the basic principles of social and pedagogical work with such families is unity of family activities and social institutes; activation parents’of role, their training and engagement in to social and pedagogical activities. Inclusive education in Ukraine (including Rivne region) is at the stage of active adaptation, organizational and methodological correction in general educational institutions now. The accounting of the framework and standards for the activities of social work of specialists in general educational institutions for the work with the children who have special needs and their families are at the stage of development. And actually social and pedagogical work with children who have special needs in the educational sphere is an invariant of the implementation of inclusive education. It’s defined that social accompaniment of the social worker’s activity will include a systematic help to families, which educate a child with special needs; creation of the center of psychological, medical and pedagogical consultation of such families; organization of their activities. It is established that the content and the components of social support are the content and organizational basis of the social and pedagogical work with the family of a child with special needs in general.

The purpose of this paper is to help better understand pre-service training for inclusive preschool teachers in China; to grasp the research context, evolution research hotspots and trends of pre-service training for inclusive preschool teachers in China. In this paper, we use the scientific quantitative knowledge graph method and using Cite Space visualization software to analyze 111 studies from 2009-2023 in CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) databases, Such as literature publication trend graph and analysis, keyword co-occurrence analysis, keyword clustering analysis, research hotspot analysis and research prospects. The results show that the current hot research on pre-service training for inclusive education teachers is mainly focused on: pre-service training for inclusive education literacy of preschool teachers (it includes the research of the concept, connotation, status quo and pre-service training of preschool inclusive education teachers); pre-service talent cultivation models for inclusive early childhood education and design of inclusive early childhood education course; future research on inclusive education for pre-service preschool teachers can actively explore three aspects: First, according to the China’s policy requirements for the training of inclusive teachers in colleges and universities, the preschool education major must clarify the pre-service training plan for preschool inclusive teachers. Secondly, it should analyze the social needs for preschool inclusive teachers and develop and design pre-service preschool inclusive education courses. Finally, pay attention to pre-service practice inclusive education and improve the pre-school inclusive education pre-service curriculum system.

Leadership in education: communications on introducing inclusive education in Ukraine

In this article an attempt to analyze the introduction of inclusive education in Ukraine is made. The reform of the education system, providing equal access to quality education for all children, including children with special educational needs, is highlighted. The peculiarities of the inclusive form of education in modern Ukrainian school are revealed, which include the right of a child who

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International scientific conference «Information technologies and management in higher education and sciences» : conference proceedings (November 28, 2022. Fergana, the Republic of Uzbekistan). Part 1. Riga, Latvia : Baltija Publishing, 2022. 392 pages.