Adaptive Capacity in Inclusive Education Management: A Case Study of a Primary School in Palopo City

Abstract

Inclusive education at the primary school level faces a gap between the demand for responsive services addressing diverse student needs and the limited resources available to schools, requiring managerial capacity that not only performs formal organizational functions but also adapts to contextual constraints. This study aims to analyze the implementation of inclusive education management based on the functions of Planning, Organizing, Actuating, and Controlling (POAC), identify supporting and inhibiting factors, and examine the adaptive strategies developed by the school. A qualitative approach with an interpretivist paradigm and case study design was employed at SDN 11 Dangerakko, Palopo City, Indonesia. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, observations, and document analysis, and were analyzed through coding, categorization, and theme development, supported by source and method triangulation and member checking. The findings indicate that the POAC functions have been implemented but are not yet fully institutionalized. Limitations in special education personnel, teacher competence, facilities, adaptive learning resources, and individualized evaluation are addressed through school leadership, teacher collaboration, instructional adaptation, resource optimization, and gradual service development. Adaptive capacity is shown to be a critical mechanism enabling the continuity of inclusive education under resource constraints, although as a single-site case study these findings are context-specific rather than statistically generalizable. Adaptive practices nevertheless need to be transformed into a more structured, documented, and sustainable management system.