Inclusive Education Practices Research Articles

Inclusive practices in an independent private school: Insight into teachers' perspectives, beliefs and practices

AbstractThis descriptive case study examines the perspectives, beliefs and practices of independent private schoolteachers in India about the inclusion of students with special educational needs in general education classrooms. Data were collected through one‐to‐one interviews and focus group discussions with 10 teachers in an independent private school in South Delhi. The analysis of the data highlights that teachers possess limited knowledge regarding meeting the educational needs of students with disabilities in their classrooms. Teachers are faced with challenges in implementing full inclusion in the absence of consistent guidelines on inclusion, the definition of inclusive education in the legislative framework, the knowledge gap and the student‐centred approach. Additionally, the study identifies a lack of collaboration between teachers and parents as a potential factor leading to the non‐implementation of inclusive education practices. The study highlights the significance of professional development sessions in raising teachers' awareness about the importance of differentiation, individualised instruction and technology integration for achieving full inclusion. Key Points Private schoolteachers in India face challenges similar to those in public schools regarding the inclusion of students with special educational needs. Limited opportunities for collaboration and communication with stakeholders, coupled with financial considerations and a profit‐driven approach in some private schools, can overshadow the inclusion of students with special educational needs. Professional development sessions are crucial in enhancing teachers‘ awareness of collaboration, differentiation, individualised instruction and technology integration for achieving full inclusion. Policy makers should prioritise the development of clear and unambiguous guidelines for inclusive education in independent private schools, outlining responsibilities and mandating training programs for educators and administrators.

Inclusive Education and Practices of 21st-Century Teachers in Sindh

Education is the right of every individual, regardless of race, creed, gender, abilities, or skills, and children with and without special needs as well. As a long time has passed, those who are concerned and working in the field of education still face serious questions like what kind of strategies or methodologies should be adopted or adapted to provide education to differently abled children and ordinary children in the same context. It is necessary to find out the teachers' practices towards the implementation of inclusive education in Sindh. The key purpose of this study was to identify the practical challenges faced by teachers towards the successful implementation of inclusive education in public primary-level schools in Sindh. The population of the current study was the public primary-level schools of the city of Nawabshah, Sindh. A self-designed questionnaire was developed and distributed among the 16 public primary-level schools (8 boys and 8 girls), and one senior teacher and two students from each school were selected as a sample for the study. The questionnaire consisted of 15 items related to teachers' practices for implementing inclusive education in their respective schools, and five items pertain to concerned students. The SPSS software was utilized for data analysis. The findings of the study reveal that the teachers of public primary schools were unaware of the teaching practices of differently abled children. Moreover, they never attended seminars or conferences and did not undergo any training regarding the implementation of inclusive education. The study recommended that a chapter regarding the concept of inclusive education, including teaching practices, be included in teachers' training manuals so that teachers are aware of the concept of inclusion or inclusive education and teaching practices regarding an inclusive classroom. Moreover, there were some hindrances in policy, school leadership, adequate teaching and learning material, and curriculum.

An Overview of the Principles of an Inclusive Approach in Education in Ukraine in the First Decade of the 21st Century as a Neuroscientific Factor

This article is a systematic examination of the progression of inclusive education in Ukraine during the first decade of the 21st century, focusing on the neuropedagogical viewpoint of incorporating children with special needs in social interaction. It investigates the principal components of forming inclusive education as a fundamental factor for the progress of a non-discriminatory civil society in Ukraine. The author analyzes regulatory and legal documents, theoretical and practical experience of working with people with special needs. The study is devoted to the issue of the implementation of an inclusive approach in the education of Ukraine. The focus of the quantitative-qualitative analysis revolves around the historical timeline concerning the acknowledgment of regulatory documents pertaining to inclusive education and inclusive educational practices in Ukraine. Additionally, this analysis encompasses the examination of scientific and methodological literature concerning the education of children with special needs. This body of knowledge has played a pivotal role in facilitating the effective adoption of the inclusive approach within Ukrainian education, representing a significant aspect within the field of neuropedagogy. The experience of implementing an inclusive approach in Ukraine in the first half of the 21st century was analyzed, which laid the foundation for the formation and further development of an accessible environment with a universal infrastructure design, the presence of special devices for participants in the inclusive educational process, taking into account their needs. The article demonstrates how the transformation of Ukraine created an educational environment within educational facilities that was tailored to the particular needs of students with special educational needs, especially those related to neuropedagogy.

Education inclusiveness among children with learning disabilities in Nigeria: Implications for counselling psychology

Education is seen as the cornerstone of every development forming the basis for literacy, skill acquisition, technological advancement as well as the ability to harness the natural resources of the state. Participants in the World Conference on “Education for All” pointed out that education is a fundamental right of all people, women, and men of all ages throughout the world. Learning disabilities occurs when the learning process is hampered due to problems within the central nervous system which results in an inconsistency between the individual’s intelligence quotient and academic achievement. Education for All programs emanated from UNICEF, UNESCO and the World Bank had some positive results for non-disabled children. School enrollment and literacy rates have risen in almost all countries to date; however the same cannot be said for children with disabilities. Despite the numerous meetings, declarations and encouraging developments that have followed over the years, progress has certainly not matched. The development of education inclusiveness can be viewed in three stages which include segregation, integration, and education inclusiveness. Successful inclusion is less to do with the individual factor such as amount of support for the child; rather, it is the interaction of certain key factors that bring about the likelihood of a more successful inclusion outcome for the child. Varieties of instructional skills which include assessment, communication, management, motivational and evaluation (ACMME) are needed by the teachers to build education inclusiveness. In view of the above, the study stressed that there should be a re-orientation of attitudes of people towards persons with disabilities in the society to reduce stigmatization and discrimination and that counselling psychologists and other educational stakeholders should be trained on the need to strengthen the to enhance the practice of inclusive education.

A collaborative model for faculty development: Helping faculty develop inclusive teaching practices

Inclusive pedagogy, an intentional approach to creating learning environments that meet the instructional needs of diverse student populations, is critically important and a moral imperative in contemporary higher education. Among the biggest challenges for creating faculty development programming to address the development and use of inclusive pedagogy are the lack of financial resources to support the effort and a lack of centralized institutional staff expertise and resources to inform and support such efforts. This case study gives a model for an institutional collaboration that incorporates experts from a variety of offices to deliver a series of inclusive teaching workshops and incentivizes faculty and instructors by awarding a certificate. We describe the administrative processes for establishing this collaboration and the process of assessing the program, and we review the results after one year of the program’s existence.

Challenges and opportunities of AI in inclusive education: a case study of data-enhanced active reading in Japan

In inclusive education, students with different needs learn in the same context. With the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, it is expected that they will contribute further to an inclusive learning environment that meets the individual needs of diverse learners. However, in Japan, we did not find any studies exploring current needs in an actual special needs context. In this study, we used the learning and evidence analysis framework (LEAF) as a learning analytics-enhanced learning environment and employed Active Reading as an example learning task to investigate the challenges and possibilities of applying AI to inclusive education in the future. Two students who attended a resource room formed the context. We investigated learning logs in the LEAF system while each student executed a given learning task. We detected specific learning behaviors from the logs and explored the challenges and future potential of learning with AI technology, considering human involvement in orchestrating inclusive educational practices.

Foundation Phase Educators’ Views on the Management of Professional Development in Historically Disadvantaged Schools

Foundation Phase (FP) educators are deemed productive when cohorts of learners who pass through their hands cope well with learning beyond the initial three grades of schooling. In South Africa, despite empirical evidence showing that FP educators in historically disadvantaged schools contend with overcrowded classes, low parental involvement and a shortage of teaching and learning resources, are still perceived as the primary source of poor learner achievement. The other point of view is that teacher underperformance and poor learner achievement are a legacy of the apartheid-engineered Bantu education policies that left the schooling system with poorly trained Black educators. To reverse these challenges, post-apartheid educational policies mandate that every school continuously conduct teacher professional development (TPD). Situated in the theory of change (ToC), this qualitative interpretivist study used interviews of a semi-structured nature to purposefully interact with a sample of six FP educators. They each characterised their HoDs’ management of TPD in two primary schools in Emalahleni Circuit 2, Mpumalanga Province. The second method of data collection entailed the analysis of a range of documents, namely the educators’ files, school performance improvement plans, and national education policy documents, to cross-check the findings of the thematic analysis. The findings revealed that HoDs were sufficiently collegial towards educators, showed commitment towards rendering professional support to educators, and adhered to a tight schedule of class visits to develop and appraise educators and monitor their implementation of inclusive education practices. Barriers stemmed from educators’ apprehension towards HoD’s class visits, especially the randomly conducted ones. The second barrier was the school management teams’ (SMTs’) inefficiency of professionalism, support for HoDs and understanding of curriculum leadership policy. The study recommends that communication around HODs’ scheduled and random class visits needs to take a more inclusive approach to scale down the panic caused by them, and SMTs must be equally prioritised for continuous professional development.

Human Resource Capacities for Inclusive Education in the Northwest Region of Cameroon

Research around inclusive education has paid more attention on practice to the detriment of human resource capacity prerequisites necessary for its implementation. Many actors are providing education to children with disabilities in the Northwest Region of Cameroon (NWR) but little is known about their human resource capacities. Based on these premises, the necessity to fill the gap, motivated this action-based research aimed at identifying the human resource capacities available for inclusive education practice in the NWR of Cameroon. A mixed method design was adopted for data collection and analysis using a comprehensive survey and in-depth key informant interviews. The data analysis grounded on a human rights perspective focused on human resources available, including special teachers, mainstream teachers, different stakeholders and training for inclusive education. The findings show that there is disaggregated information related to human resource capacities for the implementations of inclusive education in the NWR and diversified human resources with each stakeholder implementing to the best of their individual abilities and a wide gap in collaboration amongst stakeholders. The study thus proposes strategies to enhance collaboration that is crucial for IE to succeed and concludes that there is need to build an institutional framework for collaboration that will help to harness the diversified practices. A CoP developed as a result of this research has for the past 3 years implemented 80% of the key findings. The research thus serves as an empirical baseline for projects related to inclusive education and also for researchers and stakeholders interested in the development of inclusive education in Cameroon.

Inclusive Education Practices: Fostering an Accessible Learning Environment for Diverse Learners

Inclusive education, focusing on creating an accessible learning environment for diverse learners, is a crucial aspect of contemporary educational practices. This journal article explores the implementation of inclusive education practices and their impact on fostering a learning environment that accommodates the needs of students with diverse abilities, backgrounds, and learning styles.
 The background of the research emphasizes the global shift towards inclusive education as an approach to address the diverse needs of learners in mainstream educational settings. The research gap centers around the need for a comprehensive understanding of the practical strategies and interventions that contribute to the successful implementation of inclusive practices.
 The urgency of this research lies in the importance of providing equitable educational opportunities for all students, regardless of their differences. The article reviews previous studies to identify successful inclusive education models, challenges faced, and the innovative approaches adopted by educators and institutions.
 The novelty of the article lies in its in-depth analysis of inclusive education practices, shedding light on the pedagogical, social, and institutional factors that contribute to creating an inclusive learning environment. It discusses the role of teacher training, curriculum adaptation, and the use of assistive technologies in promoting inclusivity.
 The objective of the research is to offer insights into the effective implementation of inclusive education practices and their positive outcomes on diverse learners. The study aims to benefit educators, policymakers, and practitioners by providing evidence-based recommendations for creating inclusive learning environments that foster the holistic development of all students. Overall, the article contributes to the ongoing discourse on inclusive education and its significance in promoting educational equality and social integration.

Exploring Discrimination Experienced by Secondary Level Students in ELT Classroom: A Narrative Inquiry

This study aims at examining the experiences of discrimination in English language classrooms from the perspective of secondary level students. The research adopted a narrative inquiry approach, conducting individual face-to-face interviews with participants to explore their personal experiences and observations regarding discrimination. We selected four secondary level students from two government schools in the Kathmandu district purposively. We used semi-structured interviews allowing for open-ended questions and follow-up probes to gain deeper insights into participants’ responses.The analysis of the collected data followed a thematic approach. The researchers carefully reviewed the transcribed interview recordings to identify recurring patterns, themes, and key insights related to discrimination in English language classrooms.The findings revealed instances of unequal treatment by teachers, including favoritism based on gender, academic performance, and subjective factors. Participants expressed how such unequal treatment affected their motivation and engagement in the English language classroom. Discrimination based on physical appearance, skin colour, and linguistic competence was also highlighted, demonstrating the negative impact on students’ self-esteem and sense of belonging. Additionally, social hierarchies among peers contributed to exclusion and marginalization, affecting students from less privileged backgrounds.To minimize discrimination in ELT classrooms, the study suggests fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where all students are treated equally and valued for their individual strengths and contributions. Teacher training programs are recommended to promote cultural sensitivity, awareness of biases, and inclusive teaching practices. The importance of creating gender-inclusive curricula and encouraging positive gender socialization is emphasized. The research contributes to the understanding of discrimination in English classrooms by centering on students’ perspectives. The insights gained can inform educational policies and practices aimed at reducing discrimination and promoting equity in English language teaching classrooms.

Fostering Exceptional Entrepreneurial Spirits: Unveiling Parental Strategies For Children With Disabilities

Education plays a central role in shaping children's values, norms, and character. For deaf children in Mojokerto Regency, double challenges such as job uncertainty and limited access to entrepreneurship education stand out. This descriptive qualitative research aims to explore the role of parents in instilling entrepreneurial spirit in deaf children, filling knowledge gaps, and providing practical guidance. Involving learners with disabilities, data was collected through observation, interviews, and documentation in several inclusion schools. Data analysis uses data reduction, display, and inference, with triangulation for validity. Results show parents create an inclusive environment, encouraging children's independence and creativity. The documentation describes the implementation of entrepreneurial parenting. These findings support the effectiveness of parents in shaping the entrepreneurial spirit of deaf children, contributing to the understanding of inclusive education practices and fostering the talents of children with special needs. The implication is to support holistic and inclusive education policies..

HISTORY OF SPECIAL EDUCATION IN UZBEKISTAN IN 1925-1990 (IN THE CASE OF BLIND CHILDREN)

This article discusses the history of special education in Uzbekistan in 1925-1990 (in the case of blind children). The period from 1925 to 1990 marked a transformative era in the history of special education for blind children in Uzbekistan, characterizedby significant developments and milestones that shaped the landscape of educational opportunities for visually impaired students. The establishment of specialized institutions, development of educational materials, professional development of educators, emphasis on vocational training, and the promotion of inclusive educational policies and practices during this period underscored Uzbekistan’s commitment to providing inclusive, supportive, and enriching educational opportunities for blind children. These developments not only laid the foundation for the subsequent evolution of special education in Uzbekistan but also reflected a progressive and forward-thinking approach to addressing the unique needs of visually impaired students

Quality Improvement in Inclusive Education for Support Systems and Attitudes - Evidence form the Sichuan Province of China

The global trend of inclusive education has accelerated the process of education inclusion worldwide. China has embraced this trend through the practice of inclusive education in regular classrooms. Using the quantitative methods of descriptive analysis and regression analysis, this paper examines the relationship between the quality of inclusive education and the supporting environment and attitudes in Sichuan Province, China. A total of 6,000 respondents from 21 cities and prefectures in Sichuan Province participated in the survey and completed questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 29.01 software. The study analyzes public perceptions of inclusive education, views on the quality of inclusive education, evaluations of student participation, and perceptions of the supporting environment. The results indicate that the quality of inclusive education is influenced by attitudes towards inclusive education, teacher support, societal and environmental support, and parental support. To enhance the quality of inclusive education, the focus should be on cultivating positive attitudes toward inclusive education, developing inclusive education policies, and strengthening support systems. Furthermore, the analysis reveals that increasing student participation in school activities, enhancing knowledge and teaching strategies related to inclusive education, and improving support resources can effectively enhance the implementation quality of inclusive education.

Readiness of Regular Teachers for the Inclusion of Learners with Special Education Needs

This study aimed to determine the level of readiness of regular teachers for the inclusion of learners with special education needs. The researcher used total population sampling to determine the study respondents. This study used the descriptive-survey method. Regular teachers were asked about their readiness to include learners with special education needs through a questionnaire with age, gender, years of teaching, and attendance at seminars as moderator variables. There were 140 items in the questionnaire and 20 items per parameter. The statistical treatment used in the study were mean and SD. The study showed that regular teachers in the Loreto district were highly prepared for inclusive education. As a result of the study, AIM, which stands for Alliance in Inclusion Movement, was developed and proposed to assist regular teachers in improving their readiness level to include learners with special education needs. Pre-service and in-service training about inclusive education was highly recommended for regular teachers. A thorough program on monitoring and evaluation by the National and Division DepEd Officials must be conducted to examine the practice of inclusive education in the country, especially in areas with no SPED Center.

Inclusive Instruction in Elementary Physical Education: A Study of Teachers' Beliefs and Attitudes

Teachers' beliefs and attitudes about teaching students with disabilities in a physical education setting are the most important factors in inclusive education, as teachers' attitudes directly influence success in learning. This study aimed to assess physical education teachers' beliefs and attitudes regarding teaching students with disabilities in inclusive primary schools. A qualitative approach was used with a sample of 12 physical education teachers from 24 inclusive education-provider schools in Pekanbaru. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and observation checklists and analysed using content analysis. Findings showed significant variation in teachers' beliefs regarding the potential of students with disabilities in physical education. While some teachers showed a strong belief in the abilities of these students, others remained sceptical. In addition, some teachers were more confident in teaching students with mild disabilities compared to students with more severe disabilities. These findings underline the importance of improving teachers' understanding of the potential of students with disabilities in the context of physical education. This research contributes to a better understanding of physical education teachers' perspectives on inclusive education, which serves as a basis for improving training and support strategies for teachers who face challenges in teaching students with diverse disabilities. Furthermore, the research highlights the importance of creating an inclusive school environment to support more effective inclusive education practices.

TEACHER TRAINING FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

This article aims to reflect on teacher education in the perspective of inclusive education. To do so, it is anchored in the thinking of Brazil (2001), Glat and Nogueira (2002), Mendes (2006) and Silva (2003), among others, aiming at understanding how the insertion of the disabled student occurs in regular school and how if they give the teacher training to serve this clientele. From this academic production, it is possible to contribute to the reflection on inclusive pedagogical practices that should be privileged in the school and from the need for the continued formation of the teacher who opts for inclusive education for all.

Examining factors influencing teachers' intentions in implementing inclusive practices in Hong Kong classrooms

AbstractThis study investigated teachers' intentions to adopt inclusive teaching practices along with factors affecting teachers' intentions to implement inclusive practices. According to the theory of planned behaviour, an individual's intention can be predicted by their attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control. Using convenience and snowball sampling, 1110 Hong Kong primary and secondary teachers were recruited to complete a 5‐part questionnaire for the study. The results show that teachers' intentions were moderate – that is, teachers were somewhat likely to adopt inclusive teaching practices for students with disabilities. Teachers' attitudes (beliefs and feelings), perceived support needs related to expert guidance and teacher self‐efficacy (in inclusive instructions, managing behaviour and collaboration) significantly influenced their intentions to use inclusive classroom practices for students with disabilities. The findings of this study provide clear implications to policymakers and teacher‐education providers to address teachers' needs and promote the practices of inclusive education.

Navigating Self-Reflection for Aspiring Special Education Teachers: A Scoping Review on Inclusive Educational Practices and Their Insights for Autism Education

Navigating Self-Reflection for Aspiring Special Education Teachers: A Scoping Review on Inclusive Educational Practices and Their Insights for Autism Education

Resilient Pedagogical Advancements: Fostering ICT Tools for Post-Pandemic ESL Learning Through Sustainable Development – A Review

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic spurred a revolutionary shift in education, notably in language acquisition. Rooted in the principles of sustainable development, this study probes the post-pandemic linguistic pedagogy, spotlighting the refinement of English as a second language's (ESL) receptive and expressive competencies within this novel framework. Method: With a targeted approach to Language Skills (LSRW) acquisition, employing 25 meticulously selected eLearning applications, it addresses the reconfiguration of English language instruction following the pandemic-induced disruption of conventional methods. Results: These digital resources facilitated unprecedented levels of engagement, ensnaring students' focus through compelling visual aids. Furthermore, they bridged the scholastic divide between educators and learners. Consequently, students found these platforms indispensable for acquiring English as a second language in the online setting. This inquiry propels a call for further investigation into harnessing technology-driven learning to enhance ESL environments, all firmly grounded in the foundational principles of sustainable development. It emphasizes the imperative of fostering environmentally conscious and socially inclusive educational practices. Conclusion: Ultimately, it stands as an invaluable compendium for English language educators worldwide, furnishing insights to surmount the pandemic-induced pedagogical hurdles and embrace the innovative learning prospects it has ushered in, while advancing the cause of sustainable development in education.

Centering justice/decentering whiteness: the case for abolition in information literacy pedagogical praxis

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to make visible the field's propensity to center whiteness even in engaging inclusive practices in information literacy classrooms. This paper offers abolitionist pedagogy as a means to understand and address these concerns.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses interdisciplinary research methods in the fields of education, library science, feminist studies, Black studies and abolition studies to examine and provide an analysis of current information literacy practices by using abolitionist pedagogy to articulate how it is possible to expand information literacy instruction practices.FindingsCurrent information literacy practices and methods that seek to create inclusive learning environments for racialized and minoritized learners rely on a set of institutionalized practices such as critical information literacy and culturally sustaining pedagogies. An examination of these practices through an abolitionist pedagogical lens reveals how the field has engaged in reductive and uncritical engagement with these methods despite employing them to create inclusive spaces. Using abolitionist pedagogy as a lens, this critical essay examines the field's foundations in whiteness and illustrates pathways for transformative educational justice.Originality/valueThere has been much work on inclusive teaching practices that discusses challenging information literacy structures' reliance on dominant culture.? To date, there has been little to no scholarship on how information literacy practices could engage in abolitionist pedagogical praxis.