No abstract

Inclusive education is supported by the belief that all students belong and are valued members of their neighborhood school communities. Teachers must possess beliefs that support inclusion before they are able to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to implement effective inclusive practice. Using The Beliefs About Learning and Teaching Questionnaire (BLTQ), 396 participants were followed for 4 years, from their initial year in preservice teacher education through to their second year of teaching to determine the trajectory of the development of inclusive beliefs. Distinct groups were identified. Those who began with lower inclusive beliefs that tended to decrease over time were more likely to be male. Those who began with higher inclusive beliefs that remained stable were more likely to be in the elementary panel and have greater professional experience. In addition, those with higher inclusive beliefs were more likely to have greater personal experience and weeks on practicum when they began their first course in inclusive education. Results are discussed with respect to teacher education for inclusive education.

Insufficient training in using adaptations and specialized equipment for outdoor education practices is a barrier to inclusion in public schools. Providing teachers with hands-on training opportunities in adaptations could be beneficial. Two training groups, one of pre-service teachers (n=19) and one of inservice teachers (n=18), were given direct exposure to adapting a kayak to make it accessible to users of different abilities. Participants had the opportunity to discuss the kayak adaptations and to interact with the equipment. Pre-service teachers who did not yet have formal outdoor education instruction (n=18) served as a control group in this pre-test, post-test design. Training increased participants’ self-efficacy and their willingness to adapt kayaks in the future. These positive effects did not, however, transfer directly to other activities, nor did the training impact overall inclusion attitudes. Nonetheless, direct exposure to adaptations is a promising training tool for demonstrating to teachers that implementing inclusive outdoor education practices is doable.