Inclusive education in Practice: A Qualitative Exploration of Support Strategies for Students with Special Needs in Regular School Settings

Inclusive education aims to offer equitable learning opportunities, meaningful participation, and a sense of belonging to students with special needs within regular school environments. This study examined teachers lived experiences in implementing inclusive education and the support strategies they employed to address the diverse needs of learners. Utilizing a phenomenological qualitative design, the study involved eight regular classroom teachers from Van Lang School and Doan Thi Diem Halong School in Halong City, Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam, who were selected through purposive sampling. Data were gathered through semi-structured individual interviews and analyzed using a thematic analysis. The findings identified eight themes: inclusive education as equality and belonging, flexible and differentiated teaching strategies, peer support and meaningful participation, emotional and behavioral management, limited formal training and experiential learning, collaboration with parents and school personnel, challenges in resources, time, and classroom management, and positive experiences of student success and inclusion. Teachers noted that inclusive education requires patience, adaptability, collaboration, continuous learning, and meaningful opportunities for students to participate. The findings further suggest that effective inclusion requires more than individual teacher efforts; it relies on professional development, adequate resources, collaborative support, systematic monitoring, and a supportive classroom culture. Based on the findings, an Inclusive Classroom Support and Development (ICSD) Framework was proposed to enhance teacher capacity, stakeholder collaboration, classroom resources, student-centered engagement, monitoring and evaluation, and inclusive classroom culture. This study highlights the importance of coordinated school-level support to strengthen inclusive education practices and improve the experiences of students with special needs in regular school settings.