Investigating the education of preservice teachers for inclusive education: meta-ethnography

Preservice teachers enter university with a range of personally held beliefs related to inclusive education and themselves as educators. This article reports on one case study from a larger qualitative research project. The study examined a preservice teacher’s perceptions of herself as an inclusive educator as she approached the final year of her undergraduate degree. Data included a metaphorical representation of being an inclusive educator, and two semi-structured interviews held 6 months apart. The use of collage and a structured written response completed the data set. Evelein and Korthagen’s model of core reflection and Voice-Centred Relational Method were used to analyze the data. Analysis exposed the dissonance between the layers that separate the preservice teacher’s core qualities and the environment. Data are presented using I-poems and discussed using the emerging themes. The consequences for her emerging identity as an inclusive educator and sense of belonging in the profession are discussed.

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Views of Inclusive Education From the Perspectives of Preservice and Mentor Teachers

Inclusion ◽

10.1352/2326-6988-5.3.189 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 189-202

Author(s):

Jennifer A. Kurth ◽

Anjali Forber-Pratt

Keyword(s):

Preservice Teachers ◽

Teacher Preparation ◽

General Education ◽

Students With Disabilities ◽

Inclusive Education ◽

Teacher Educators ◽

School Experiences ◽

Mentor Teachers ◽

Inclusive Practices ◽

Barriers To Implementation

Abstract The trend of educating students with disabilities in inclusive general education settings is expanding. Consequently, teacher preparation for inclusive practices is a necessary consideration for teacher educators. An important component of shaping preservice teacher dispositions comes from school experiences and interactions with mentor teachers. It is through this relationship that preservice teachers formulate their own attitudes, beliefs, and skills about inclusive practices. This article reports the findings from a set of surveys containing both closed- and open-ended responses related to inclusive education from both preservice (student) and mentor teachers. Analysis of the open-ended responses revealed definitions of inclusive education focused on student deficits and barriers to implementation of inclusive practices that focused on deficits in the capacity of the environment. Implications for teacher preparation, including challenging deficit-based assumptions, are discussed.

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Teacher Education and Inclusivity

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.278 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Sarah L. Alvarado ◽

Sarah M. Salinas ◽

Alfredo J. Artiles

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Preservice Teachers ◽

Teacher Preparation ◽

Students With Disabilities ◽

Inclusive Education ◽

Professional Training ◽

Teacher Educators ◽

Learning Differences ◽

Access To Books ◽

Formative Experiences

Inclusive teacher education (ITE) defines the professional training of preservice teachers to work in learning spaces encompassing students from all circumstances, regardless of race, linguistic background, gender, socioeconomic status, and special education needs (SEN). This preparation includes the content, pedagogy, and formative experiences required for teachers to work in inclusive schools. To fully understand ITE, it is necessary to examine what is meant by inclusive education (IE). Indeed, it is essential to explore ITE’s definition since scholars and teacher educators have struggled to agree on what is meant by IE. In addition to disagreements about IE’s definition, support for this idea and its implementation may vary due to the cultural, historical, and political differences specific to local contexts. For these reasons, it is necessary to recognize the inclusive policies, practices, and processes that often shape definitions and concepts related to ITE. Notwithstanding the ambitious meanings of ITE across the globe, researchers, professionals, and policymakers tend to emphasize a vision of teacher preparation for working with students with disabilities (SWD) or SEN. Also, there is no consensus about which particular aspects matter in teacher education programs, primarily based on ideological differences about the core goals of IE. These differences in views and beliefs have resulted in limited understandings and applications of ITE. For instance, a student with an SEN may also come from a family living in poverty, with no access to books in the home, or speak multiple languages, including languages that are not a part of their first (formal) educational experiences. In such circumstances, there is no agreement about whether ITE programs should focus on students’ linguistic, socioeconomic, learning differences, or multiple factors. We review the research on ITE in various national contexts. We also discuss how scholars have conceptualized the preparation of future teachers and the implications for greater clarity on how teacher preparation can improve IE in an increasingly diverse society.

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Inclusive Beliefs and Self-Efficacy Concerning Inclusive Education Among German Teacher Trainees and Student Teachers

Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology ◽

10.1891/1945-8959.14.3.270 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 270-293 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

David Scheer ◽

Markus Scholz ◽

Astrid Rank ◽

Christian Donie

Keyword(s):

Preservice Teachers ◽

Special Needs ◽

Student Teachers ◽

Inclusive Education ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Inclusive Classroom ◽

General Effect ◽

Future Teachers ◽

School Teachers ◽

Case Examples

This survey aims to investigate the beliefs and self-efficacy of preservice teachers in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, concerning inclusive education. There were 491 people who participated in the study. The future teachers responded to a slightly modified questionnaire by Kopp (2009) using case descriptions of pupils with different educational needs to assess attitudes toward inclusion and self-efficacy in inclusive classroom settings. Results show a general effect of the intended type of school on inclusive beliefs and self-efficacy with significant differences between future teachers. Preservice teachers for special needs school rated highest in inclusive beliefs, and self-efficacy secondary school teachers and academic high school teachers lowest. The intended profession also plays a role in rating the readiness for inclusion of the presented case examples. In the eyes of future teachers, children with intellectual disabilities and complex special needs should be educated in special needs schools.

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Preservice Teachers' Beliefs about Inclusive Education: What Should Teacher Educators Know?

Action in Teacher Education ◽

10.1080/01626620.2003.10463292 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 48-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Pamela Pruitt Garriott ◽

Maurice Miller ◽

Lynne Snyder

Keyword(s):

Preservice Teachers ◽

Inclusive Education ◽

Teacher Educators ◽

Teachers Beliefs

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An Examination of Preservice Teachers’ Self-Efficacy and Beliefs About Inclusive Education

Teacher Education and Special Education The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children ◽

10.1177/0888406419873060 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 43 (2) ◽

pp. 178-192

Author(s):

Jamie L. Metsala ◽

Mary Jane Harkins

Keyword(s):

Preservice Teachers ◽

Elementary Education ◽

Students With Disabilities ◽

Inclusive Education ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Epistemological Beliefs ◽

Strong Predictor ◽

Inclusive Classroom ◽

Negative Beliefs ◽

History Of

Teachers’ self-efficacy and beliefs are important to classroom practices and student success. In this study, the authors examine preservice teachers’ self-efficacy and beliefs related to inclusive education. One hundred seventy-nine preservice teachers enrolled in secondary or elementary education programs participated in this study. Overall, participants in elementary versus secondary programs felt more responsible for students with disabilities and more efficacious with inclusive practices. At the same time, preservice teachers in the secondary program and those in their second (vs. first) year rated themselves higher on negative beliefs about inclusive education and viewed ability as more of a fixed and stable trait. Preservice teachers with a history of reading difficulty had higher teacher self-efficacy than those without this history. The factors examined in this study accounted for about a third of the variance in each of preservice teachers’ self-efficacy for inclusive instructional practices and in their negative beliefs about inclusive education. Epistemological beliefs about ability emerged as a strong predictor of preservice teachers’ negative beliefs about inclusive education. The results from this study are discussed within the context of preparing teachers for the inclusive classroom.

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Toward More Inclusive Education: An Empirical Test of the Universal Design for Learning Conceptual Model Among Preservice Teachers

Journal of Teacher Education ◽

10.1177/0022487120965525 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 002248712096552 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Júlia Griful-Freixenet ◽

Katrien Struyven ◽

Wendelien Vantieghem

Keyword(s):

Preservice Teachers ◽

Inclusive Education ◽

Teacher Educators ◽

Universal Design ◽

Universal Design For Learning ◽

Empirical Test ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Growth Mindset ◽

Educational Environments ◽

Design For Learning

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) holds considerable promise to create inclusive educational environments. Nevertheless, the most recent theoretical UDL model, which includes both teachers’ philosophy and praxis of teaching, has never been tested empirically. Therefore, this study aims to validate the UDL model as a “whole” among preservice teachers. Results show that the three philosophical constructs of UDL predict the performance of preservice teachers’ practices associated with UDL. These constructs are growth mindset about learning, self-efficacy to implement inclusion, and self-regulation and motivation for teaching. Results also show that preservice teachers think and reason about UDL not as three separate principles (i.e., engagement, representation, action, and expression) but in an interrelated way as the analysis shows them to be a unidimensional factor. Finally, this article discusses the implications of a validated model on UDL for teacher-educators, practitioners, and researchers.

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Teaching Inclusive Classes: What Preservice Teachers in Israel Think About Their Training

Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology ◽

10.1891/1945-8959.16.3.293 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 293-303 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Orit Gilor ◽

Michael Katz

Keyword(s):

Preservice Teachers ◽

Teacher Training ◽

Inclusive Education ◽

Training Programs ◽

High School Education ◽

Interesting Point ◽

Teacher Training Programs ◽

Inclusive Teaching ◽

To Receive ◽

The Voice

This article sought to add the voice of the preservice teachers to the discourse by presenting their perceptions regarding the appropriateness of their training for teaching in inclusive-education frameworks. Preservice teachers completing their first (N= 18) or third year (N= 18) in the various types of teacher-training programs (early childhood, primary school, and high school education) were interviewed. The findings of the qualitative analysis revealed that the various training programs differed in terms of the scope of training for inclusion as well as in their approach to inculcating inclusive teaching. Findings indicated that preservice teachers preparing to teach in mainstream schools expected to receive better training for inclusive teaching than what is currently offered in their training programs. The interesting point is that these expectations develop during teacher training. A discussion of the findings highlights the need to introduce changes in the existing training programs to ensure that preservice teachers acquire and internalize the principles of inclusive teaching.

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