How do College Students in Special Education Departments Perceive the Principals’ Role in the Integration of Pupils with Disabilities in the Mainstream Schools in the Arab Sector in Israel?

Abstract

Achieving sustainable goals is the main purpose of the education system of Israel. The inclusion of disabled students is extremely important, especially given the increasing globalization in the educational sector and the pledge to ensure equal inclusion of all children regardless of disability. Such students are often left out of educational and mainstream development, which requires teachers to integrate effectively with these students. Considering this perspective, this research attempts to analyse the role of principles in integrating students with disabilities in mainstream schools. Thus, to explore the phenomenon in this study, the case research of the Arab sector in Israel was chosen. For this, a mixed-method research framework was adopted, which helped infer qualitative and quantitative analysis on the subject. The results of this research have found key barriers to inclusion, such as physical barriers to inclusive education and policy implementation barriers to inclusive education. The findings showed that a mental issue is a substantial barrier to learning for students with disabilities. Some children with disabilities suffer cognitively and socially, which affects their performance in comparison to other students who do not have these problems. The study's findings also revealed that the role of the principal has a positive and significant influence on the integrated learning environment.