An analysis of individual education programmes (IEPs)‎ in Saudi Arabia using bronfenbrenner’s ecological model : barriers and solutions

Abstract EN

The implementation of Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) for children with intellectual disabilities was investigated at mainstream boys’ schools in Riyadh.

Qualitative data collected from interviews with 20 IEP team members, supplemented by content analysis of documentary data from a key policy document, provide rare insights into the practices and perspectives of the IEP teams working in mainstream Saudi schools.

A clear discrepancy was identified between the Regulations of Special Education Institutes and Programmes (RSEIP) policy document and its implementation.

Team members were also found to be unsure of their individual roles stipulated by the RSEIP document and were therefore not fulfilling these duties.

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory enables analysis of child development at different levels of society, affecting the implementation of IEPs and informing strategies to overcome barriers to implementation.

This framework highlights discrepancies between policy and practice, and the major barriers to IEP implementation: parental involvement; structural support; negative attitudes; and school level.

This demonstrates that development in policy and practice is required in five major areas: building collaborative teamwork; legal and administrative matters; appropriate assessment; curriculum development; and the coordination between the MoE, DGSE, mainstream schools and parents in relation to IEPs.