An Action Research Study on Developing an Interdisciplinary Curriculum in Inclusive Education

Abstract

This study, which was designed as an action research study, identifies the problems in terms of the objectives of inclusive education in Social Sciences class and investigates improvements using an interdisciplinary approach. The study group comprised 31 fourth-grade students and a classroom teacher at a school in mid-level socioeconomic settings. The study was conducted in four cycles in total between February and June 2018—a school semester. The problematic areas that were identified in the current status analysis of the objectives of inclusive education were grouped under three primary themes: (1) communication and social interaction, (2) teamwork, and (3) respect for common rights. Improvement levels of these primary problems in inclusive education were analyzed via observations, interviews, and the Level Identification Checklist. The interdisciplinary approach provided the most improvement in students who were having problems in showing respect for common rights, and improvements in this area had a positive impact on the other two areas. Furthermore, the students acknowledged their negative opinions about students under temporary protection, realized the language-related comprehension issues, and cooperated and expressed that they embraced the refugee students.