INCLUSIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN KAZAKHSTAN: PEDAGOGICAL AWARENESS, PRACTICES, AND CHALLENGES

Abstract

In the context of the modernization of education in Kazakhstan, special attention is paid to the development of an inclusive approach that ensures equal access to education for all categories of students, including children with special educational needs (SEN). Teaching English in an inclusive environment is a significant pedagogical task, as it requires taking into account the various cognitive, communicative and behavioral characteristics of students. The purpose of this study is to identify the main difficulties that English teachers face when working with children with SEN and to summarize effective pedagogical practices used in inclusion. The work utilized the methods of survey and analysis of regulatory documents. The study involved 34 teachers from comprehensive schools in three large cities of Kazakhstan: Astana, Almaty, and Shymkent. The results showed that despite the high declared awareness of the principles of inclusion, only a third of teachers use adapted methods in practice. The main barriers include a lack of methodological materials, a lack of special training, and limited support from the administration and specialists. Despite this, there are some cases of successful implementation of visual-sensory support, individualization of tasks, and the use of elements of assistive technologies. The presented data allow us to conclude that it is necessary to develop a comprehensive methodology for teaching English, taking into account the specifics of an inclusive environment and improving the qualifications of teachers in this area.