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The Impact of Cultural Belief On Special Educational Needs Provision in Nigeria
Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities · Area of research: Special Educational Needs
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I10-1716116
Abstract
The effective provision of special educational needs (SEN) services in Nigeria is critically undermined by a complex web of deep-rooted cultural and religious beliefs that pathologize disability and foster widespread stigmatization.The study aims to investigate the impact of cultural belief on special educational needs provision in Nigeria.The findings revealed a hierarchy of cultural barriers to special educational needs (SEN) provision in Nigeria, with supernatural attributions of disability (75%) and stigma-induced shame (67.5%) representing the most pervasive challenges. The findings from this study reveal that community attitudes towards children with special educational needs in Nigeria remain predominantly negative, characterized by strong agreement with harmful spiritual explanations of disability and disagreement with inclusion practices.The study demonstrates that cultural beliefs represent the most significant barrier to special educational needs (SEN) provision in Nigeria. Deeply entrenched supernatural attributions of disability, coupled with pervasive stigma and fear of social shame, create a complex web of resistance that undermines policy implementation and perpetuates the exclusion of children with disabilities from educational opportunities.
Keywords
special education needs, cultural belief, disability, religious belief,stigmatization,pathologize, supernatural
How to cite this paper
@article{1716116,
author = {Maureen Chinasa Ola-Williams, Dr. Clement Ogbani, Dr. Adeyinka Ola-Williams},
title = {The Impact of Cultural Belief On Special Educational Needs Provision in Nigeria},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {9},
number = {10},
pages = {858-876},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1716116.pdf},
abstract = {The effective provision of special educational needs (SEN) services in Nigeria is critically undermined by a complex web of deep-rooted cultural and religious beliefs that pathologize disability and foster widespread stigmatization.The study aims to investigate the impact of cultural belief on special educational needs provision in Nigeria.The findings revealed a hierarchy of cultural barriers to special educational needs (SEN) provision in Nigeria, with supernatural attributions of disability (75%) and stigma-induced shame (67.5%) representing the most pervasive challenges. The findings from this study reveal that community attitudes towards children with special educational needs in Nigeria remain predominantly negative, characterized by strong agreement with harmful spiritual explanations of disability and disagreement with inclusion practices.The study demonstrates that cultural beliefs represent the most significant barrier to special educational needs (SEN) provision in Nigeria. Deeply entrenched supernatural attributions of disability, coupled with pervasive stigma and fear of social shame, create a complex web of resistance that undermines policy implementation and perpetuates the exclusion of children with disabilities from educational opportunities.},
keywords = {special education needs, cultural belief, disability, religious belief,stigmatization,pathologize, supernatural},
month = {April},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I10-1716116}
}