Ugandan teachers epistemological beliefs and child-led research: implications for developing inclusive educational practice

Abstract

There is a complementarity between Uganda’s aim for ‘education for all’ and the pedagogy indicated as underpinning Uganda’s child-focused thematic curriculum. However, child-focused pedagogies are rare. The case is made that child-led research is an appropriate model for developing inclusive classroom practice. This research is the first to consider the relationship between Ugandan teachers’ epistemological beliefs and child-led research. The findings from questionnaire responses of 187 teachers and educators challenge the argument that Ugandan teachers’ epistemological beliefs are the primary barrier to implementing child focused pedagogies and indicate that a child-led research initiative would complement the epistemological beliefs of many teachers and offer a potential model for an inclusive pedagogical approach