Inclusive School Teachers Research Articles

Merdeka Belajar Curriculum Implementation in Inclusive Schools

The purpose of this research was to analyze the Merdeka Belajar Curriculum implementation in inclusive schools. The method used in this research was qualitative. Data collection techniques used were observation, interviews with 17 vice principals of academic affairs, and documentation. The analytical method used is data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion. The results of research showed that from 17 schools in DKI Jakarta, the implementation of Merdeka Belajar Curriculum in inclusive schools has not run optimally, such as special education teachers in inclusive schools were forced to become homeroom teachers, the application of the curriculum was still being segregated with the weight of subjects for students with disabilities being more in special classes than in regular courses, teacher competence regarding inclusive education curricula which was still inadequate, and there was no special education teachers who handled students with special needs in the implementation of Merdeka Belajar Curriculum in inclusive schools.

Attitudes Towards Disability and Burnout among Teachers in Inclusive Schools in France

ABSTRACT Western countries have placed a lot of importance on school inclusion policies in the last decade. Strong promotion of these policies encourages teachers to express egalitarian attitudes and behaviours towards all students. However, at the same time teachers may experience feelings of discomfort because of perceived difficulties and powerlessness in implementing the inclusion policy. The discrepancy between what teachers say and their internal discomfort can lead to burnout. The aim of this study was to test the relationship between a teacher’s implicit and explicit attitudes towards disability and burnout. To this end, we used explicit self-reported measures of attitudes and burnout, and a specific paradigm to assess implicit attitudes towards disability (disability-IAT). Results showed that implicit attitudes were significantly more negative than explicit attitudes. The more positive the explicit attitudes, the less the individuals experienced exhaustion, whereas the more negative the implicit attitudes, the more exhausted the respondents felt. These results suggest teachers need to internalise positive feelings about inclusion to protect themselves against risks of emotional exhaustion.

Evaluation of Mastery Level of Effective Teaching Skills Among Teachers in Inclusive Schools in Jordan

This study aims at evaluating mastery level of effective teaching for teachers in inclusive schools in Jordan. A total of 50 teachers served as a sample of study. The teachers were rated on a scale which consisted of (38) items within three dimensions: planning, teaching, and classroom management, and evaluation. The finding of the study showed that the mean of the teaching and classroom management dimension was significant. However, the means of planning and evaluation, as well as the mean of the total score were not significant. The findings also showed that there were significant differences in mastery teaching with respect to specialization in favor of teachers majoring educational specialization. Further, the findings showed that there were no significant differences in mastery teaching as regards for their teaching experiences.

Social, Systemic, Individual-Medical or Cultural? Questionnaire on the Concepts of Disability Among Teacher Education Students

The individual-medical concept of disability, whereby disability is believed to be caused by some intractable impairment, is perhaps the most widely held view in society. However, other concepts exist with which teachers in inclusive schools should be familiar (e.g., social, systemic), to better inform teacher behavior, attitudes and understanding. We therefore developed an instrument to capture education students’ concepts of disability. We constructed the questionnaire according to four theoretical models of disability (individual-medical, social, systemic, and cultural concepts), which are commonly used in inclusive teacher education, and validated this on a sample of 775 education students. Additionally, we administered the Attitudes towards Inclusion Scale (AIS) and measured key demographic variables. The instruments, data and analysis code used are available online at https://osf.io/dm4cs/. After dropping redundant items, a shortened form of the questionnaire contained 16 items, with satisfactory psychometric values for scales pertaining to four concepts of disability (CFI = 0.963, TLI = 0.955, RMSEA = 0.037, SRMR = 0.039). These four concepts of disability showed small correlations with the AIS, indicating that our questionnaire measured an independent construct. The more experience education students had with disability and the more courses they had attended on inclusive education, the more likely they were to agree with the social concept of disability. The questionnaire shows promise in measuring concepts of disability and might be used to stimulate students’ critical reflection during teacher education.

Self-Compassion dan Hope pada Guru Sekolah Inklusi

This study aims to examine the correlation between self-compassion and hope on teachers in inclusive schools. This study used quantitative method with cross-sectional design with correlational research type. The participants were 162 inclusive primary school teachers in Jakarta, Depok, and Bogor, who were recruited through nonprobability sampling technique that is convenience sampling. The adapted Adult Hope Scale (AHS) and Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) were used as instrument in this study. The findings show that there is a significant positive correlation between self-compassion and hope. This relationship can be caused by mental support, self-confidence, positive attitude, and the increase of competency perception based on self-compassion that may facilitate the individuals to have better hope.

Prediktori profesionalnog razvoja nastavnika u inkluzivnoj školi

Teachers' professional development is a complex and multi-faceted phenomenon that in recent decades, in many countries around the world, has been at the center of educational policy and become one of the central topics of scientific research aimed at improving the quality of educational work of modern - inclusive - school. The paper examines the professional development of teachers through the discourse of educational inclusion and current educational policies which intensively promote the right to quality education that best suits the child. The predictors of teachers' professional development in the model of an inclusive school are the topic of our research. The aim of the research was to determine the connection between a set of different factors - socio-demographic, personal, and contextual - with teachers' professional development and identify the determining factors among them. The research was conducted on a sample of 265 primary school teachers. Quantitative model, correlation design, and survey technique were used. The research results show that researching a wider range of factors was purposeful and indicate a different level of connection of the examined predictors with teachers' professional development. It has been determined that the predictors in the group of personal factors are central for the engagement and participation of teachers in professional development programs. In general, the research findings, with numerous new insights into the factors and limitations of teachers' professional development, contribute to building a more complete picture of the current practice of the professional development of teachers in inclusive school and are not only informative, but also useful to all actors in school practice, creators of educational policies in modeling and introducing changes in this area.

Enhancing the Pedagogical Competence of Inclusive School Teachers in Handling Children with Special Needs

This study aimed to: 1) analyze the level of pedagogic competence of inclusive school teachers in dealing with children with special needs; 2) carry out activities to increase this competence; and 3) investigate the impact of these activities. An action research design was used. Data were collected through pretest and posttest questionnaire instruments and interviews. Two cycles of activities to increase the level of pedagogic competence were carried out: cycle 1 involved training and cycle 2 involved a workshop. The results showed that the training and workshops were effective in improving the pedagogic competence of inclusive school teachers in dealing with children with special needs and in improving the skills of teachers in preparing learning tools according to the learning needs of students, and this effect was significant.
 Keywords: teacher pedagogical competencies, inclusive schools, children with special needs

Assessment Practices among Inclusive School Teachers: A Case from Basic Schools in the Volta Region of Ghana

Assessment techniques in special education provide information on how teachers can evaluate learners with special educational needs to ease educational placement and instructional decisions. This paper aimed at investigating assessment techniques used by teachers in assessing learners with special educational needs in inclusive schools in the Volta Region of Ghana. The descriptive survey design was employed for the study. The study involved 80 teachers in all selected pilot inclusive schools in the region, which was the study's target population. A questionnaire with closed-ended items was developed for data collection. Percentages and frequencies were used as statistical tools to analyse the research data generated from the questionnaire. The findings revealed that most teachers have insufficient knowledge and did not use appropriate assessment techniques in assessing learners with special educational needs in the schools. Based on the results, some recommendations were made for the Ghana Education Service through the Ministry of Education to organise in-service training and seminars for trained and untrained teachers on assessment techniques in special education.

Peningkatan Kompetensi Guru Sekolah Inklusi melalui Pendampingan Terstruktur (Perencanaan, Tindakan & Pengamatan, dan Refleksi)

Teachers are an important factor in optimizing inclusive education in certain educational units. In addition to classroom teachers, special teachers are also needed who have broad insight and skills in implementing inclusive learning in the classroom. In addition, parental involvement in children's education is a driving and determining factor in the development of inclusive education. Starting from making decisions regarding school placement, to collaboration between the education unit and parents who have children with special needs. With limited understanding and acceptance of the existence of ABK, teachers need skills in learning for ABK. Educational backgrounds that do not provide provisions for special education cause almost all teachers to face problems in dealing with children with special needs. This Community Service Program is one solution in an effort to provide the skills needed by inclusive school teachers at Ma'arif Prison in the form of handling children with special needs and indirectly as a form of improving the quality of learning in the classroom. The results of the pre-test and post-test showed a significant increase in competence in the aspects of awareness, knowledge, and skills of the trainee teachers. The average pre-test score was 54.67, while the post-test average score was 80.56. These results indicate that there is an increase in the understanding of the Ma'arif LP teachers regarding the service framework for inclusive students or with special needs which consists of early detection, consultation, collaboration and counseling. During the mentoring, the participants gave positive feedback on the activities and hoped that further activities would be applicable in relation to the implementation of inclusive education in educational units.

Improving Self-Resilience in Students with Special Needs through the Counseling Teachers’ Roles: A Case Study on Grounded Theory

Previous studies show that self-resilience was significantly improved in students with special needs by supporting the social environment and the learning system. Additionally, support for the role of counseling teachers in inclusive schools fosters self-resilience. In this regard, this study aimed to understand the role of counseling teachers foster self-resilience among students with special needs in inclusive schools. The grounded theory approach was applied to produce theories related to these issues. The participants included eleven counseling teachers and the special needs students drawn from three schools in West Sumatra and Bengkulu, Indonesia. The data collected were analyzed based on three stages of grounded analysis, including open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. The findings indicated that self-resilience among students with special needs grows when the counseling teachers use three roles, namely, modifying behavior, giving instructions repeatedly and providing options according to students’ interest.

Counting Blessing: The Effect of Gratitude Training on Prosocialness among Teachers in Inclusive School

Gratitude can motivate everyone to be pro-socially behaved, create a positive social relation, and build the sense of togetherness in the school community. This research examines to measure the effect of gratitude training on teacher’s prosocial behavior in inclusive school with special need student (SEN). This is the quasi experimental research. There were 120 subjects divided into two groups, control and experiment. The treatment given to the experiment group was gratitude training. Data collected by using the sixteen items of the prosocialness scale for adults by Caprara et.al (2005) that has an excellent reliability (ω=0.980, 95%CI=0.972,0988) and distributed twice on pre and post-test. Statistical analysis showed (r B =0.339, p =.001, Hodges’ g =-3.000, 95% CI=-5.00, -1.00) that is means gratitude training have had an effect that tends to be moderate to the teacher’s prosocialness. However, this research’s findings display that gratitude is one of important psychological strength to motivate teachers’ prosocialness in inclusive school. This finding can serve as recommendations for prosocialness improvement programs for inclusive teachers in Indonesia with all its realities.

PLANNING AND APPLICATION OF METHODS IN DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION AND INDIVIDUAL APPROACH TO PUPILS WITH DIFFICULTIES IN PRIMARY SCHOOL

In an inclusive school teachers are expected to take responsibility for planning the teaching process in which they will apply adequate support (Ahon Adaka, 2013; Tomlinson, 2015). The aim of this research is to determine certain specificities of teachers’ differentiated instruction in their teaching and planning of individualised methods for the successful conduction of activities with pupils with difficulties in lower and higher grades of primary school. The set hypothesis states that there is a statistically significant difference between class teachers and subject teachers of primary schools of the Republic of Croatia (N=410) in the estimation of their own planning and application of methods in differentiated instruction and individualised approach to pupils with difficulties. The nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test was used to test the differences between teachers groups. The results showed that class teachers applied methods relating to pupils’ more successful inclusion in activities and supported their individuality by applying individualised teaching aids more than subject teachers. Such results indicate that differentiated and individualised teaching methods which are most adequate for a certain pupil and which will support their self-activity during primary education are still insufficiently present, even more in higher grades of primary school.

Eksplorasi Pengetahuan Guru Inklusi Mengenai Pendidikan Seksual di Masa Pubertas Remaja Putri dengan Disabilitas Intelektual Ringan

Sexual education at puberty is needed for young women with mild intellectual disabilities (ID) to help with puberty. Through sexual education, young women can have a better understanding of the changes that occur in their bodies and the right behavior to show in the social environment. This study aims to determine the knowledge of inclusive teachers about sexual education at puberty for young women with mild intellectual disabilities. This research was conducted using the principles of qualitative research. Data obtained based on interviews using telephone media to 4 inclusive school teachers in Bandung. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis techniques. The results show that knowledge about the characteristics of ID is still not mastered by all teachers. Knowledge about how to teach students with mild ID in the academic settings and the characteristics of puberty is owned by the four teachers based on their experience. However, all teachers do not yet have complete knowledge about the scope of sexual education material that needs to be provided as well as how to provide effective sexual education for young women with mild ID. Further research can be carried out to develop an intervention program design to improve the knowledge and skils of inclusive teachers to provide sexual education at puberty

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Training outcomes for Grade R teachers in an urban and semi-rural context

Background: Preschool learners with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may develop problems with emergent literacy and more explicitly, phonological awareness necessary for the development of reading and writing. A need for support of Grade R teachers in inclusive schools was identified, and a programme developed. Aim: The main aim of this article is to report on the outcomes of a support programme for Grade R teachers on ADHD in two contexts within a specific school district. Setting: Participants were recruited from urban schools and township schools in a semi-rural context of a specific school district in Tshwane. Methods: The outcomes of this support programme was determined from data obtained with self-constructed questionnaires, which consisted of mainly closed-ended questions, supported by a limited number of open-ended questions. The quantitative data was statistically analysed and described, whereas the qualitative data was described through inductive analyses. Participants consisted of 44 teachers from semi-rural and 21 from urban, inclusive schools who attended the training workshops. Results: The results of the training indicated that urban teachers demonstrated better overall knowledge before the training. The post-training results indicated no statistically significant differences in knowledge after the training. Both groups benefitted from the programme. The rural participants showed more improvement as a result of the training. Conclusion: The participants from semi-rural schools benefitted more from the training, emphasising underlying inequalities in the education levels of the two groups. This research provided a starting point and needs to be expanded to facilitate Grade R teachers’ awareness and knowledge of ADHD.

Kompetensi Pedagogik Guru Sekolah Inklusi di Indonesia (Suatu Pendekatan Systematic Review)

This study aimed to investigate the pedagogical competences of inclusive school teachers, especially in Indonesia. The research method used was a systematic review. The electronic data bases used were Wiley, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. The initial search found 24 journals and were then selected based on exclusive criteria, in which there were seven journals identified using thematic data analysis techniques. The result of this study showed that the pedagogical competence of teachers in inclusive schools, especially in Indonesia, is relatively low. Several factors which inhibit teacher pedagogic competence, which are different teachers’ educational backgrounds, teachers do not understand students’ characteristics which cause difficulty to identify different student needs, and teachers have difficulty to evaluate student learning processes.

TEACHER WORK ENGAGEMENT IN INCLUSIVE SCHOOL

This research aimed to identify and state the significance of teacher work engagement to improve inclusive school performance, where the inclusive school was a form of education equity and realization without any discriminations which currently have been organized by the government of Indonesia. Further, this research was based on the phenomenon which happened that not all teachers in inclusive school were involved maximally on the inclusive concept. This research was categorized into qualitative research which exerted case study approaches to explore the teacher experience during teaching activity in the inclusive school. It aims to identify teacher engagement at work. This research finding showed that the teacher work engagement was affected by self-efficacy and organizational climate. The teacher who had high self-efficacy referred that the teacher believes their selves were able to fulfill daily challenges in the school and therefore, the teacher tended to be more engaged on work. Besides, this research finding, indicated that the fun organizational climate became attendant which could influence the teacher work engagement.

Inclusion Schools in the Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia: Regulations, Facilities and Aspirations of Teachers

This study aims to describe regulations and identify school readiness and aspirations of teachers for the progress of organizing inclusive schools. This research is qualitative research with a phenomenological approach. The research informants were 16 teachers consisting of 9 subject teachers in inclusive schools and 7 Special Companion Teachers (GPK). Data collection methods used were in-depth interviews and observations. The process of data analysis is data reduction, identifying themes, mapping interrelationships between themes, and concluding findings. The conclusions of this study are (1) a common problem that occurs in inclusive schools is that the role of the teacher is not yet optimal. This is due to the system and competence, the culture of citizens in several schools that have not yet been developed, and the school still does not optimally facilitate the talents of students with disabilities. (2) Government participation is needed in providing various regulations related to GPK recruitment rules, increasing teacher competence and inclusive school management, providing facilities, and building synergies with various stakeholders so that the implementation of the learning process in inclusive schools is better.

How Do Regular Students in Inclusive Primary Schools Interpret the Term of 'Students with Special Needs'?

A positive perception toward the student with special needs required to build positive attitudes and behaviours in inclusive schools. The aim of this study is to determine the perception of regular students in inclusive primary schools toward students with special needs. This study is a survey and the participants are 146 regular students in inclusive primary school. The study used questionnaires. The results show that only 35% of regular students who know and can interpret the definition of the student with special needs into the text. Most students interpret based on what they see, such as a physical problem, low academic achievement or help by shadow teacher. There are still misconceptions, stereotypes, and negative perception toward students with special needs. It suggests for the teachers in inclusive school for increase disability awareness to overcome the negative perception.

Stress and burnout in teaching. Study in an inclusive school workplace

BackgroundTeaching is a profession associated with high levels of stress and burnout, affecting teachers’ performance in the workplace. The main goal of the current study is to investigate stress and burnout conditions of teachers working presently in inclusive schools and the corresponding influence of personal variables.Participants and procedureParticipants were 7086 regular teachers, or non-specialists, and 442 special education teachers, or specialists (N = 7528).ResultsNon-specialist teachers showed higher levels of burnout than specialist teachers in inclusive schools. Addition-ally, the results showed that higher levels of burnout are correlated with vulnerability to stress (perfectionism, inhibition, lack of social support, adverse living conditions, dramatization of existence and subjugation), in both groups of teachers. Non-specialists with more professional experience showed a high global score on burnout. In both groups, teachers with a higher level of training (academic degree and specialization) showed lesser vulnerability to stress, especially lower dependence. Concerning the predictors of burnout, vulnerability to stress played an important role as a predictor in both groups, suggesting that more vulnerable teachers are more prone to develop burnout, fatigue and exhaustion.ConclusionsStress emerges as an important predictor of burnout. Non-specialist teachers are more exposed to burnout and stress in an inclusive workplace, because they have to deal with new demands, requiring new resources, espe-cially new professional skills. On the other hand, teachers with more academic and professional training show higher resilience to stress and more independence, suggesting the crucial value of training to improve an in-clusive school workplace. Training can have an important impact on stress/burnout and consequently on the professional performance and efficacy of teachers in inclusive schools.

Self-efficacy Sources among General Education Teachers in Inclusive Schools: A Cross-Cultural Study

The inclusion of students with special needs in general education classes has become a goal that all educational systems worldwide strive to achieve it. The inclusion of special needs has many benefits, whether for special needs students or regular students. The current study aims to reveal the differences in the self-efficacy among general education teachers in both the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Republic of Egypt. It aims also to reveal the sources of this self-efficacy in both countries. The core study sample consisted of (96) Saudi teachers and (88) Egyptian teachers. The researcher used the teachers 'self-efficacy scale and the teachers' self-efficacy sources scale. The results of the study indicated that there is a significant difference between the average scores of the total self-efficacy and its sub-dimensions between the Saudi and Egyptian sample for the outperform of The Egyptian teachers. It indicated that the source of the mastery experience was a significant predictive of the self-efficacy of the Saudi teachers, and it explained 53% of the variation in self-efficacy. It also indicated that the mastery experience was a significant predictive of the self-efficacy of the Egyptian teachers, and it explained 13% of the variance in self-efficacy.