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Bahamian teachers’ perceptions of inclusion as a foundational platform for adult education programs
Abstract
Despite the paradigm shift globally regarding the adoption of inclusive education, teachers still have varying preconceived misconceptions about its successful implementation and practices in the general education classroom. This qualitative study focused on teachers' perception of adapting inclusive education policies and procedures in The Bahamas and its implication for adult education. The participants of the study were teachers (n-18) in the K-12 educational system in The Bahamas. The findings from this study revealed that there was a vast misconception of the definition of inclusive education. Secondly, five overarching factors that influenced teachers' perception of inclusive education were (a) lack of training, (b) insufficient resources and (c) administrative support, (d) teachers’ attitudes and (e) inadequate /misconception of information regarding inclusive education. The study further provides an overview for implications for education and training of general education teachers charged with the responsibility of accommodating children with disabilities in regular/inclusive classrooms. © 2014, International Journal of Special Education. All rights reserved.
... Edward, (2015) revealed that the majority of the teachers were less knowledgeable about ASD and its associated features among children, this study further revealed that majority of teachers reported that they were not trained appropriately to accommodate children with Autism in regular classes [14]. Newton et al., 2014, also revealed that teachers' lack a specific body of knowledge to the nature and needs of students with special needs [15]. ...
... Edward, (2015) revealed that the majority of the teachers were less knowledgeable about ASD and its associated features among children, this study further revealed that majority of teachers reported that they were not trained appropriately to accommodate children with Autism in regular classes [14]. Newton et al., 2014, also revealed that teachers' lack a specific body of knowledge to the nature and needs of students with special needs [15]. ...
... Newton et al., 2014, further shows that teachers' lack a specific body of knowledge to the nature and needs of students with special needs [15]. The available literature suggests that there is a widespread inadequate knowledge about autism and among teachers and with the increasing population of the autistic children, there is a need for the global community to share a platform to develop a framework for the strategies to improve the situation. ...
BACKGROUND Autism is a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders exhibited in early childhood with variable manifestations as children grow up. However, the level of awareness of the condition is poorly understood among pre-primary school teachers. This study, therefore, assessed the awareness of the spectrum condition of autism among pre-primary school teachers in western Kenya. MATERIALS AND METHODS A descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed and data collected from 321 participants using semi-structured questionnaires and Key Informant interviews. The participants were selected using purposive sampling. The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 and qualitative data analyzed thematically RESULTS The response rate was 76.9% with 16.8% (41) males and 83.2% (203) females. A total of 41.5% (n=110) of the teachers had never heard of autism. Of all teachers who had heard of autism, 100% (7) were from special needs schools, and 64.4% (67) and 45.1% (60) were from public and private schools, respectively. About 78.8% (105) of teachers perceived autism as a neurodevelopmental disability and academically challenged children, 15% (20) as a psychiatric illness similar to madness, 4.5% (6) as spiritual affliction/demon-possessed children and 1.5% (2) as parental neglected children. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS This study shows that pre-primary school teachers have inadequate awareness of the spectrum condition of autism, and this limits educational service delivery. This study therefore recommends special training for pre-primary school teachers and improvement of the curriculum and training to include the spectrum condition of autism.
... The study advised pre-service and in-service training. Newton et al. (2014) conducted a qualitative study in the Bahamas to investigate teachers' perceptions and attitudes toward IE. A semi-structured interview was utilised as a research tool to acquire data from the sample of 18 public teachers. ...
... It supported the findings of Monsen et al. (2014) and Newton et al. (2014), who determined that teachers had mixed attitudes about IE. The current study's findings also supported the findings of Khan et al. (2017), who explored that Pakistani teachers had a positive attitude toward minor disabilities but a negative attitude toward severe disabilities. ...
The current study was designed to investigate teachers' multi-dimensional attitudes toward inclusive education (IE). Teachers' attitude was measured against four dimensions; anti-inclusion, pro-inclusion, the intensity of disability, and problems related to the inclusion process. The researchers followed positivist research philosophy in the present research with a quantitative approach and descriptive design. The sample comprised 366 male and female teachers, selected using the simple random sampling technique. The Teachers' Attitude Towards Inclusive Education Scale (TAIES) was developed and used for data collection. The researchers used descriptive and inferential statics to analyse data using SPSS (version 26). It was concluded that teachers showed a moderate attitude towards the dimensions of pro-inclusion, the intensity of disability, and IE-related problems. Based on the analysis, it was also found that male teachers' multi-dimensional attitude towards IE was statistically significant and higher (M = 2.60, SD = .56) than that of their counterparts (M = 2.40, SD = .50) at t (364) = 4.92, p = <.001. No significant difference was seen between teachers' multi-dimensional attitudes based on locality. It was also revealed that none of the respondents got any IE-related training. It was also found that they were in favour of including students with minor disability and showed their concerns for including students with severe disability. Therefore, arranging trainings, seminars, and workshops was suggested to enhance teachers' awareness and attitude towards IE.
... According to Newton et al. (2014), rural teachers' knowledge and skills on inclusive education are very low owing to a lack of training in special education. To support the above sentiment, Bowe (2004) revealed that rural teachers struggle to identify and accommodate learners with autism in their classrooms. ...
... Only 40% of participants were knowledgeable on inclusive education.The study also revealed that rural teachers were not able to identify and accommodate learners with autism in their classrooms. The findings of this study resonate well with a study by(Newton et al., 2014) that rural teachers lack a specific body of knowledge to the nature and needs of learners in mainstream classrooms. Also, another study adds that, lack of understanding among rural teachers have lowered down their abilities to accommodate all learners in inclusive classes and offer quality education to learners with autism(Makaya, 2022). ...
The study used a phenomenological design with semi-structured interviews to explore rural teachers preparations for inclusive education in Zimbabwe. A sample of 20 teachers from 20 primary schools in Gutu District was interviewed along with various aspects related to their knowledge of inclusive education and strategies for including learners with autism in mainstream classrooms. The study revealed that most rural school teachers have low knowledge and skills about inclusive education. It was also found that factors such as lack of in-service training, lack of resources were among challenges faced by rural teachers in preparing for inclusive education. It is concluded that effective inclusive education is still facing a lot of challenges in rural schools in Zimbabwe and to make it a reality the study recommends that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) and educational stakeholders should work together with rural teachers to ensure availability of equipment and materials for effective learning of both learners with or without autism. The study recommends that, provision of regular in-service training and workshops could help many teachers gain appropriate knowledge and skills in teaching learners in regular classrooms. Furthermore, rural schools are challenged to provide latest technological developments and adequate resources to facilitate inclusive learning.
... Brojna istraživanja u svijetu govore u prilog činjenici da su stavovi učitelja i ravnatelja škola izuzetno bitni za uspješno provođenje procesa inkluzije učenika s teškoćama u redovni školski sustav (Avramidis & Norwich, 2002;Tejada Fernández, 2013;Newton et al., 2014;Blândul & Bradea, 2017;Martan, 2018). ...
U radu su izneseni rezultati ispitivanja samoprocjene kompetentnosti studenata nastavničkoga smjera za provođenje inkluzivnoga obrazova-nja. Ukupno je ispitano 94 studenata diplomskih studija fakulteta Sve-učilišta u Zagrebu tijekom 2018. i 2019. godine. Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati percepciju studenata o usvojenim općim i specifičnim znanjima i vještinama stečenima tijekom studija za budući odgojno-obrazovni rad u inkluzivnim uvjetima te zadovoljstvo obveznom studentskom praksom. Rezultati su pokazali da bi, osim o vrstama teškoća u razvoju, studenti trebali razumjeti stavove, potrebe i očekivanja roditelja učenika s teško-ćama u razvoju. Smatraju da nemaju dovoljno kompetencija za izradu specifičnih nastavnih materijala. Studenti su ukazali na potrebu za iz-mjenom organizacijske strukture kolegija u kojoj bi studentska praksa bila zastupljena većim brojem sati.
... It is recommended that those who work in the field of special education should apply learning strategies which focus on cooperation, collaboration and communication between students during didactic activities, as well as on interaction between teachers and students. Therefore, many authors (Avramidis & Norwich, 2002, Newton et al., 2014 recommend that special education teachers attend a number of professional training programmes in order to develop these very types of competences. Unfortunately, there are many schools where the teachers have not attended any training courses in this field. ...
In a general sense, competence represents a higher finality which ensures the transfer of acquired theoretical knowledge to effective teaching practices. In the teaching profession, there are three types of competences: professional (they show the teacher's theoretical knowledge), psycho-pedagogical (they concern the teacher's ability to know their students and to establish interhuman relationships with them) and methodical (concerns the teacher's ability to teach effectively the elements of the didactic content). Due to the particularities of special / inclusive education, teachers involved in this form of education should possess mainly psycho-pedagogical and methodical competences so that they can meet successfully the educational needs of students with disabilities. The aim of the research was to identify the psycho-pedagogical and methodical competences of special / inclusive education teachers, as well as ways to improve them using continued professional training activities. The sample consisted of 225 teachers, who work in various forms of special education in Bihor County, Romania. The instrument consisted of a questionnaire with 21 items. The research was conducted in April 2017. The results of the research showed that special education teachers are more empathetic and use a more diversified range of didactic strategies, while inclusive education teachers are concerned with continued professional training in the field of special education.
The issue of integrating children with special educational needs in mainstream school depends on several factors. The most important is the support teacher, who is the link between school, family and community, between children and teachers and other specialists. (Avramidis - all 2000, Ainscow 2016, etc.). Teachers need to change their own mind set and system of values according to the new social responsibilities in order to become promoters of human diversity, acceptance and tolerance. Therefore, teacher training must respond diligently to the new teacher’s roles and responsibilities. The main purpose of this research was to identify the training needs for support teachers based on the analysis of their own socio-educational experience (their own role and their particular training needs as support teachers), as well as (mainstream school) teachers’, pupils’ and parents’ perceptions regarding integration. This study was conducted in a mixt methods structure, which employed both quantitative and qualitative methods for data collection. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted, with mainstream teachers, on one hand, and parents, on the other hand. We addressed the issues of attitudes towards the integration of children with SEN (special education needs) and the collaboration with the support teacher. Also, focus-group interviews were conducted with support teachers. A number of 112 participants were included in the study (57 teachers from mainstream schools, 20 support teachers, and 35 parents ) Conclusion: Teachers’ and parents’ cognitive schemas regarding what a support teacher can and should do in order to facilitate the integration of children with SEN are different from his/her actual educational role and responsibilities. This gap between the social representations and the actual job description can be bridged by building a more complex and accurate understanding of how every actor involved in the integration process must become aware of one’s personal beliefs and expectations, assume and thoroughly play his/her part in a collaborative manner. Teacher training through transformative learning based on sharing experiences and group projects is a learning experience suitable for developing competences for teachers for special education.Keywords: teacher training, children with special educational needs, transformative learning, support teacher.
This study investigated teachers' perceptions towards the inclusion of learners with autism into inclusive classroom settings in rural schools. It mainly focused on perceptions of rural teachers and investigates on understanding and knowledge of rural teachers on autism in their classrooms. It discuss the challenges faced by rural teachers including learners with autism and the ways to overcome. A phenomenological research design underpinned in which the researcher used indepth interviews and focused group discussions on interacting with the participants about their perceptions towards the inclusion of learners with autism into inclusive classroom settings. Twenty rural primary school teachers in Chivi District were purposively sampled. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews. The findings revealed that participants had a low level of knowledge about autistic learners and also found that factors such as lack in-service training and in teaching and learning materials were among the challenges teachers face in teaching learners with autism in inclusive classrooms in rural schools. The provision of inclusive in-service training and workshops could help many rural teachers gain appropriate knowledge and skills in teaching learners with autism in inclusive classrooms. It is concluded that inclusive education is still facing many challenges in making it a reality. Therefore, the study recommends that educational stakeholders work for hand in glove with rural teachers to let every learner with and without autism learn and enjoy the benefits of education in inclusive classrooms.
The issue of integrating children with special educational needs in mainstream school is still debatable.However, there are situations where the integration of children with special educational needs is successful and all those involved are satisfied. What are the factors that contribute to achieving true integration? Is it about a certain school environment or some teachers? Is it about parent involvement or school leadership? To answer the research question of this study, we have raised the hypothesis that school culture (values, teachers’ perceptions on integration, leadership) determines the success of integration.The goal of this study is to analyse the educational actors’ perceptions (students, teachers, managers and parents) and the school culture which promotes human diversity.The study in question was embedded in a constructivist-interpretivist paradigm, which employed both quantitative and qualitative methods for data collection.A questionnaire regarding students’ and teachers' perceptions on integration and focus-groups were used. A case study of a primary school (School N.O. from Brasov) was conducted.A number of 100 participants were included in the study, teachers, parents and students from primary schools of Brasov.One of the main conclusions of the research is that the integration of children with special educational needs depends on several factors: from the school culture that promotes social values such as tolerance, respect for difference, etc. to teachers directly involved in integration activities and parents who accept and understand the benefits of integration for all children.
The issue of integrating children with special educational needs in mainstream school depends on several factors. The most important is the support teacher, who is the link between school, family and community, between children and teachers and other specialists. (Avramidis & all 2000, Ainscow 2016, etc.). Teachers need to change their own mind set and system of values according to the new social responsibilities in order to become promoters of human diversity, acceptance and tolerance. Therefore, teacher training must respond diligently to the new teacher’s roles and responsibilities. The main purpose of this research was to identify the training needs for support teachers based on the analysis of their own socio-educational experience (their own role and their particular training needs as support teachers), as well as (mainstream school) teachers’, pupils’ and parents’ perceptions regarding integration. This study was conducted in a mixt methods structure, which employed both quantitative and qualitative methods for data collection. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted, with mainstream teachers, on one hand, and parents, on the other hand. We addressed the issues of attitudes towards the integration of children with SEN (special education needs) and the collaboration with the support teacher. Also, focus-group interviews were conducted with support teachers. A number of 112 participants were included in the study (57 teachers from mainstream schools, 20 support teachers, and 35 parents ) Conclusion: Teachers’ and parents’ cognitive schemas regarding what a support teacher can and should do in order to facilitate the integration of children with SEN are different from his/her actual educational role and responsibilities. This gap between the social representations and the actual job description can be bridged by building a more complex and accurate understanding of how every actor involved in the integration process must become aware of one’s personal beliefs and expectations, assume and thoroughly play his/her part in a collaborative manner. Teacher training through transformative learning based on sharing experiences and group projects is a learning experience suitable for developing competences for teachers for special education.
The issue of integrating children with special educational needs in mainstream school is still debatable.However, there are situations where the integration of children with special educational needs is successful and all those involved are satisfied. What are the factors that contribute to achieving true integration? Is it about a certain school environment or some teachers? Is it about parent involvement or school leadership? To answer the research question of this study, we have raised the hypothesis that school culture (values, teachers’ perceptions on integration, leadership) determines the success of integration.The goal of this study is to analyse the educational actors’ perceptions (students, teachers, managers and parents) and the school culture which promotes human diversity.The study in question was embedded in a constructivist-interpretivist paradigm, which employed both quantitative and qualitative methods for data collection.A questionnaire regarding students’ and teachers' perceptions on integration and focus-groups were used. A case study of a primary school (School N.O. from Brasov) was conducted.A number of 1oo participants were included in the study, teachers, parents and students from primary schools of Brasov.One of the main conclusions of the research is that the integration of children with special educational needs depends on several factors: from the school culture that promotes social values such as tolerance, respect for difference, etc. to teachers directly involved in integration activities and parents who accept and understand the benefits of integration for all children.
Brunei is including more learners with special needs in general schools. To gain insight into problems that might arise research needs to be undertaken on a number of related issues. This study explored the attitudes to and concerns about inclusive education of 166 randomly selected pre-service and in-service teachers at the University of Brunei Darussalam on the BA primary education, BEd and PGCE programs. A three-part pretested instrument was used to collect demographic, attitudinal and concerns data. The alpha reliabilities of the Likert-type scales for attitudes and concerns were 0.85 and 0.88 respectively. At the whole group level no gender differences were found. Significant difference on attitudes to inclusive education were however found on all three bivariate comparisons of the program students. The BEd special education students were more favourable to inclusive education than the other two groups. Surprisingly the groups did not differ significantly on their concerns about inclusive students. Findings have implication for teacher education.
The purpose of this investigation was twofold: (a) to explore the use of a new rating scale that measures teachers' attitudes toward their students and (b) to investigate the attitudes of inclusive teachers toward their students with disabilities using the rating scale. Fifty inclusive elementary teachers in 12 northeast Ohio schools rated all of their students with disabilities (N = 156) and 4 students without disabilities in each of their classrooms in the attitudinal categories of attachment, concern, indifference, and rejection. Results indicated that (a) the rating procedure exhibited modest test-retest reliability and moderate concurrent validity with a previously validated nomination procedure; (b) in comparison to students without disabilities, included students with disabilities received significantly higher ratings of teacher concern, indifference, and rejection, and significantly lower attachment ratings; and (c) average teacher indifference ratings toward their included students related positively and significantly to presence of paraprofessionals, and average teacher rejection ratings of included students were inversely and significantly related to school district socioeconomic status. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.
While many states and territories in Australia were initially a little slow to develop a strong momentum towards inclusive educational practices, this has been addressed quite dramatically in the past ten years. Acknowledging that each jurisdiction in Australia has its own department of education and determines its own educational directions this paper will focus on broad developments across all jurisdictions in order to provide an overall analysis of how inclusive education has evolved. This discussion paper will focus on systemic changes since the Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994), involving the education of students with diverse learning needs. A review of Australian research identifies the implications for specialist peripatetic support staff, the personal beliefs and values of teachers and the need for more structured pre- and in-service training for teachers to enable them to meet the educational, social and emotional needs of all children engaged in inclusive experiences.
This article reports the findings of a study designed to explore the perceptions of primary school teachers toward the inclusion of students with disabilities into general education classrooms in Victoria, Australia. Specifically, the study investigated the relationship between particular demographic factors and teachers' attitudes toward and concerns about inclusive education. Participants included 122 teachers from primary schools around Victoria. The ATIES, Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education Scale (Wilczenski, 1992), and the CIES, Concerns about Inclusive Education Scale (Sharma & Desai, 2002), were utilized to determine participants' attitudes and their level of concern about the inclusion of students with disabilities into mainstream settings. Participants who reported having undertaken training in special education were found to hold more positive attitudes and to experience lowered levels of concern, about implementing inclusive education. In addition, participants with a family member with a disability, and those who possessed some knowledge of the Disability Discrimination Act (1992) exhibited more positive attitudes toward including students with disabilities, while participants with a close friend with a disability and those who felt more confident about their roles as inclusive educators, experienced fewer concerns about implementing inclusive education.
Bahamian classrooms are comprised of students with varying disabilities (emotional, physical, mental, and learning), and these students are failing to meet the requirements of their various grade levels due to inadequate interventions critical to addressing their individual needs. For these needs to be met in mainstream classrooms, Inclusive Education is inevitable. Consequently, a qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to survey perceptions of primary school teachers towards this practice. The sample included teachers from various schools within New Providence, The Bahamas. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Responses were qualitatively analyzed for themes and main concepts through open-coding. The study emphasizes the need to recognize teachers' perceptions towards inclusive education as a fundamental aspect of the practice's success in primary schools. Findings indicated that ninety percent of the teachers interviewed expressed negative perceptions of inclusive education. It was also revealed that the most prevalent influencing factors of the teachers' negative perceptions were lack of training in special education and inclusive education, and lack of resources. Twenty percent of the teachers expressed positive perceptions of inclusive education, stating however, that the success of such a practice depends greatly upon a myriad of elements.
The study examined attitudes towards inclusion and sense of efficacy of 1155 Israeli preservice teachers and variables related to these beliefs. Participants responded to an Options related to inclusion scale, and a Teacher efficacy scale. Findings revealed strong support for the principle of inclusion, yet also support for segregated special education placements. Several concerns regarding inclusion were expressed, which were related to the area of classroom management and teacher instructional skills. Sense of efficacy scores on personal efficacy, social efficacy and efficacy regarding low‐achieving students were higher than those for teaching efficacy. Less support for inclusion was found for students in Arab (Muslim) colleges compared to students in Jewish colleges. These two groups were also different on self‐efficacy scores. The major area of study and experience was associated with the level of support for inclusion and to self‐efficacy scores. The progression in the training programme was associated with increased concerns and less support for inclusion. Female students were more supportive of inclusion than males, and had higher self‐efficacy scores. Implications for preservice education for general and special education students are discussed.