IMPACT OF INCLUSIVE PRACTICES ON STUDENTS´ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND ACHIEVEMENT: A CASE STUDY OF A REGULAR SCHOOL IN MAPUTO CITY

Abstract

Actions towards the implementation of inclusive practices should not only be written in papers, it is crucial that such 
practices also do reflect in real educational contexts. More importantly, the effective implementation of inclusive 
practices in regular classrooms must not be a task exclusively given to teachers; it is the responsibility of the whole 
community members to make every endeavour to support inclusion in education. However, on the one hand, 
educational leaders must ensure that inclusive policies are disclosed and implemented; on the other hand, teachers 
require further training in order to broaden their knowledge so that students’ needs are fully met and academic 
development and accomplishments are successfully achieved. Inclusive practices should be designed to promote the 
active participation of all students, irrespective of their disabilities or other condition that could impose a barrier to 
their effective learning process. The aim of this study lies upon the need to describe the effects of inclusive practices 
on the academic performance and achievement of both students with and without disabilities, and how these 
outcomes contribute to the quality of the Mozambican education system. In this regard, this qualitative study was 
conducted through a combination of interview and observation data collection methods, whereby the researcher 
interviewed teachers and observed specific lessons in a Mozambican regular school. The research results contained 
herein will emphasize the main constraints and challenges faced by educational stakeholders in Mozambique and 
will highlight the need to conduct further studies in this area in order to obtain an in-depth understanding of the 
appropriate strategies to eliminate teaching and learning barriers in inclusive learning settings.