Development of pre‐service teachers' self‐efficacy beliefs and attitudes towards inclusive education through first teaching experiences

Abstract

We examined the development of pre‐service teachers' self‐efficacy beliefs and attitudes towards inclusive education through first teaching experiences during a 4‐week practicum. Additionally, we assessed the burnout‐related variables (job‐related satisfaction and exhaustion and perceived competence support during the practicum). Whereas t‐tests for paired samples showed that self‐efficacy increased significantly, attitudes remained the same except for a decrease regarding attitudes towards the effects of inclusive education. However, 97% of the pre‐service teachers in our study reported positive to neutral experiences with inclusive teaching during the teaching practicum and correlational analysis revealed a low, but significant positive relationship between positive experiences and self‐efficacy and attitudes. Moreover, multiple regression analyses showed that positive experiences in inclusive classrooms predicted self‐efficacy regarding the arrangements of inclusive education, while perceived competence support from university supervisors was a significant predictor of attitudes towards the effects of inclusive education. High self‐efficacy correlated significantly with satisfaction of career choice, whereas attitudes were significantly negatively correlated with exhaustion. The implications of these findings and the importance of a sufficiently scaffolded teaching practicum in order to increase attitudes and self‐efficacy beliefs towards inclusive education are discussed.