Towards the inclusion of students with special needs in higher education: Challenges and prospects in Kosovo (original) (raw)

Students with special needs experience various barriers to higher education inclusion that are highly diverse. However, studies examining the challenges of students with special needs in higher education are scattered and fail to address context-based problems. The purpose of this study, thus, was to investigate the challenges and prospects that students' with special needs experience in Kosovo's higher education. The study used an analytical framework for understanding inclusive higher education as a (i) policy problem, (ii) management problem, and (iii) teaching and learning problem. The study conducted 10 interviews with institutional management and academic staff, 2 in-depth interviews with students with special needs within higher education, and analysed numerous policy and programing documents at the national and institutional level. The goal of ensuring the full inclusion of students with special needs in higher education requires a multifaceted and long-term approach. This study contributes to the lack of literature by showing that values behind an inclusive higher education and formal efforts towards an inclusive higher education interact as push and pull factors that hinder the inclusive Naser Zabeli ABOUT THE AUTHOR Naser Zabeli is Associate Professor and Head of Pedagogy Department at the University of Prishtina's Faculty of Education in Kosovo. His research interest focuses on inclusive education and effective teaching and learning. He authored and co-authored several scientific articles, as well as various books and monographs, including his tremendous contribution to adopting the Index of Inclusion for Kosovo context needs. Fjolla Kaçaniku is a PhD researcher at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education and a Teaching Assistant at the University of Prishtina's Faculty of Education in Kosovo. Her research interest focuses on teacher education policy and initial teacher professionalism. Donika Koliqi is a Teaching Assistant at the University of Prishtina's Faculty of Education in Kosovo. Her research interest focuses on inclusive education and teaching and learning theory. Currently, she is a PhD student in the field of inclusive education at the University of Prishtina, Faculty of Education.