The effectiveness of a special school experience for improving preservice teachers’ efficacy to teach children with special educational needs and disabilities

Abstract

Increasingly, preservice teachers are required to demonstrate their ability to effectively cater for the needs of a diverse range of learners, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Higher education institutions (HEI) delivering teacher education programmes are responsible for promoting the development of inclusive practices. This multi-method study assessed the effectiveness of a special school experience for preservice teachers at one HEI in England. A total population sample of 48 preservice teachers completed self-efficacy questionnaires at three time points during their training; and 13 took part in qualitative semi-structured interviews towards the end of the study. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) findings from the questionnaire data showed that the experience had a significant positive impact on preservice teachers' self-efficacy, improving knowledge, understanding and confidence to teach inclusively. A thematic analysis of the qualitative findings revealed that the experience challenged preservice teacher expectations about learners with SEND, developing understanding about learner needs and effective differentiation. This article concludes with recommendations for effective inclusion training for preservice teachers.

Pre-service Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Students With Behavioral Difficulties: Associations With Individual and Education Program Characteristics

“…While Ahmmed et al (2012) suggested that experience influences positively attitudes only if it is a success, the present results raise questions about the methods, contents, and field experiment inherent in the type of program. In particular, teacher education programs need to consider practicum placements in schools and classrooms where inclusion has been embraced as a philosophy and practice, and where appropriate supports exist to help ensure a successful experience for PT (Short and Bullock, 2013;Coates et al, 2020). In addition, as suggested by Metsala and Harkins (2020), monitoring students' inclusive orientation as they progress through their programs seems important, as students farther along in their program endorsed more negative attitudes.…”

Initial Teacher Education for Inclusive Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of Educational Research

“…The regular school teachers are core actors in developing inclusive practices and they need to learn to meet the needs of a diverse range of learners effectively, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. This has major implications in the sense of preparation of all teachers in this direction and higher education institutions delivering teacher education programs are seen as being responsible for this aspect [16]. The importance of teacher education for the development of inclusive educational systems cannot be contested [17].…”

Actitudes y condicionantes de los futuros docentes hacia la educación inclusiva: estudio meta-etnográfico

“…Bajo este marco, el desarrollo legislativo educativo y los propios planes de estudio de formación de futuros y futuras docentes también influyen en dar forma a sus actitudes, y en el desarrollo de contradicciones con respecto a las prácticas de educación inclusiva (Vigo et al, 2010). En este sentido, y de forma paradójica, la formación inicial se configura como uno de los importantes condicionantes que influye en el desarrollo de futuros y futuras docentes con un pensamiento caracterizado por la falta de confianza en su desempeño docente (Causey et al, 2000), por una manifiesta ansiedad (Coates et al, 2020;Hemmings y Woodcock, 2011) y, en definitiva, por un refuerzo de prácticas basadas en la exclusión. Más específicamente, la meta-etnografía identifica diferentes aspectos que se pueden estar presentando como resistencias en torno a la formación inicial en el sentido que se indica a continuación:…”

“…Los estudios cualitativos que abordan las actitudes de los futuros docentes también destacan la importancia de la formación inicial y unas adecuadas experiencias de campo (Coates et al, 2020). Las investigaciones muestran una actitud positiva mayoritaria (Lacruz et al, 2021) pero más próxima al concepto de integración (Gajardo, 2019).…”