Making explicit pre-service teachers’ implicit beliefs about inclusive education

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present study investigated the development of pre-service teachers’ skills, beliefs and knowledge about inclusive education. At Time 1, pre-service teachers completed questionnaires on their beliefs and wrote a Teaching Philosophy. At Time 2, they identified differences in their responses from Time 1 to Time 2. Overall, teacher candidates reported an increased sense of self-efficacy in inclusive practice. Their beliefs about learning and teacher responsibility remained largely unchanged. Teacher candidates advocated strongly for student-centred learning and inclusive practices. However, they became significantly more self-assured about their initial position and felt that they had more resources to teach their inclusive beliefs in the classroom.