An empirical investigation of contextual barriers and academic achievement disparities for students with disabilities in South Gondar primary schools, Ethiopia

Abstract This study assessed contextual barriers and academic achievement disparities for students with disabilities (SWDs) in South Gondar Primary Schools, Ethiopia. A convergent parallel mixed‐methods design with an ex post facto quantitative component was employed. A sample of 544 participants (227 SWDs, 317 students without disabilities) was selected from five primary schools. Quantitative data from continuous assessment scores were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data from semi‐structured interviews and focus group discussions were analysed thematically. A statistically significant academic achievement disparity was found between SWDs (M = 33.22, SD = 34.44) and their peers (M = 70.55, SD = 12.53), t (542) = −12.02, p  < 0.001, Cohen's d = 1.48. SWD achievement also varied significantly across schools, F (4, 222) = 6.24, p  < 0.001, η 2  = 0.10. Key barriers reported included a severe shortage of special needs teachers, inaccessible physical infrastructure, lack of teaching materials and assistive technology and pervasive negative attitudes. The large academic achievement gap is strongly associated with systemic and attitudinal barriers rather than individual incapability. Improving outcomes for SWDs requires targeted investment in teacher training, accessible infrastructure, learning resources and attitudinal change.