Inclusive education in West Africa: predictors of parental attitudes, knowledge and perceived social norms influencing inclusive practices in Ghana and Nigeria

The call to practise inclusive education in African countries has coincided with efforts to promote deeper cooperation in the education sector. Ghana and Nigeria have adopted a common curriculum to facilitate the development of people in the West African sub-region. In both countries, while much is known about the challenges faced by teachers and schools in the implementation of inclusive education, little is known about parents’ attitudes, knowledge and perceived social norms regarding inclusive education. In this study, we adapted Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour to examine parents’ attitudes, knowledge and perceived social norms in influencing inclusive practices. One-thousand-and-seventy-five parents were recruited from Ghana (n = 411) and Nigeria (n = 664). They completed the Parents’ Attitudes Towards Inclusive Education scale, which consists of three subscales: attitudes, perceived social norms, and knowledge. Although there was a moderate relationship between the subscales, the participants were positive on attitudes and perceived social norms, but they reported a lack of knowledge about inclusive education. The participants seemed to accept the need for implementation of inclusive education, and they acknowledged the efforts of implementers in practising inclusive education. However, they indicated limited knowledge about implementation of inclusive education. The need for policymakers to prioritise public education is also discussed.