The study aimed to explore the teaching competencies teachers in Ghana perceived as important to ... more The study aimed to explore the teaching competencies teachers in Ghana perceived as important to their teaching in inclusive classrooms. Using a quantitative research approach, 163 regular school teachers from two geographic regions of Ghana completed a 14-item questionnaire titled Perceived Competencies for Inclusive Teaching Scale and an open-ended question about the supportive resources they require to be effective in their classrooms. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA and t-tests were used to analyse the data and the results showed that Adapting Instructional Materials, Behaviour Management, among others were important competencies. Teachers in multi-grade classrooms considered particular skills are important, reflecting their challenging roles. The respondents also identified the availability of teaching materials, support teachers, more training as key support resources, which will enhance their effectiveness in the classroom. We discuss the implications for future teacher training.
Similar to Western countries, the early origins of special education in India started with Christ... more Similar to Western countries, the early origins of special education in India started with Christian missionaries and nongovernmental agencies which stressed a charity model of serving populations such as the visually, hearing, and cognitively impaired. However after its independence from Great Britain in 1947, the Indian government became more involved in providing educational, rehabilitation, and social services. Thus over the past four decades, India has moved gradually toward an inclusive education model. This chapter discusses the implementation of such a model related to the prevalence and incidence rates of disability in India as well as working within family environments that often involve three to four generations. Also included are challenges that an inclusive education system faces in India, namely, a high level of poverty, appropriate teacher preparation of special education teachers, a lack of binding national laws concerned with inclusive education, a dual governmental administration for special education services, and citizen's and special education professionals strong concern about whether inclusive education practices can be carried out.
This study examined the concerns of regular
elementary school teachers in Gurgaon, India, in orde... more This study examined the concerns of regular elementary school teachers in Gurgaon, India, in order to work with students with disabilities in inclusive education settings. A total of 175 teachers responded to a two-part questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The data indicated that the teachers in Gurgaon, overall, were a little concerned about implementing inclusive education in their schools. Significant difference existed in teacher concerns whether they taught in government versus privately managed schools. Implications are discussed to address teacher concerns for inclusive education in India.
The aim of this interpretive study was to examine the perceptions and beliefs of general educatio... more The aim of this interpretive study was to examine the perceptions and beliefs of general education teachers in Delhi, India, about the inclusion of students with disabilities (SWDs) in regular education classrooms. In this study, with hermeneutic phenomenology as its methodological framework, 15 semistructured interviews of public school teachers in Delhi were conducted. Each interview, lasting from 30 to 45 min, was recorded and transcribed. The data were analyzed using a constant comparative method. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) Sociocultural ideologies on disability have affected the education of SWDs, and (2) systematic institutional barriers have led teachers to accept inclusion only “in theory.
This study examined the concerns of regular
elementary school teachers in Gurgaon, India, in orde... more This study examined the concerns of regular elementary school teachers in Gurgaon, India, in order to work with students with disabilities in inclusive education settings. A total of 175 teachers responded to a two-part questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The data indicated that the teachers in Gurgaon, overall, were a little concerned about implementing inclusive education in their schools. Significant difference existed in teacher concerns whether they taught in government versus privately managed schools. Implications are discussed to address teacher concerns for inclusive education in India.
The aim of this interpretive study was to examine the perceptions and beliefs of general educatio... more The aim of this interpretive study was to examine the perceptions and beliefs of general education teachers in Delhi, India, about the inclusion of students with disabilities (SWDs) in regular education classrooms. In this study, with hermeneutic phenomenology as its methodological framework, 15 semistructured interviews of public school teachers in Delhi were conducted. Each interview, lasting from 30 to 45 min, was recorded and transcribed. The data were analyzed using a constant comparative method. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) Sociocultural ideologies on disability have affected the education of SWDs, and (2) systematic institutional barriers have led teachers to accept inclusion only “in theory.”
This study was undertaken to determine the concerns of primary school teachers about the inclusio... more This study was undertaken to determine the concerns of primary school teachers about the inclusion of students with disabilities in Ahmedabad, India. A total of 560 teachers, working in government-run schools, returned the completed survey. A two-part questionnaire was used in this study. Part 1 gathered information relating to personal and professional characteristics of the teachers. Part 2 was a 21-item Likert scale titled Concerns about Inclusive Education -Gujarati. The major finding of the study was that the teachers in Ahmedabad were moderately concerned about including students with disabilities in their classrooms. The teachers were most concerned about lack of infrastructural resources and least concerned about lack of social acceptance of students with disabilities in inclusive education classrooms. Significant differences existed in teacher concerns based on the following background variables: gender, qualifications in special education, teaching experience and number of students with disabilities in class. A number of implications are discussed to address teacher concerns for inclusive education in India.
In this article we report on various initiatives taken by the government since India's independen... more In this article we report on various initiatives taken by the government since India's independence in 1947 to provide education to school-aged children with disabilities. The majority of children with disabilities still remain out of school. We make an attempt to identify the challenges that the country continues to face in providing education to this population and possible ways in which the challenges could be addressed.
This study examined the preparedness of regular and special education teachers in Sri Lanka to te... more This study examined the preparedness of regular and special education teachers in Sri Lanka to teach students with disabilities in an inclusive setting. It also explored their perceptions of the term ‘inclusion’ in a Sri Lankan context. A total of 75 classroom teachers were surveyed using a two-part questionnaire. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight classroom teachers. The interview data was analyzed using framework analysis and the quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Special education teachers indicated higher perceived competence in working with students with special needs than general education teachers. Implications for teacher preparation are discussed.
Special Education: International Perspectives., 2014
Similar to Western countries, the early origins of special education in India started with Christ... more Similar to Western countries, the early origins of special education in India started with Christian missionaries and nongovernmental agencies which stressed a charity model of serving populations such as the visually, hearing, and cognitively impaired. However after its independence from Great Britain in 1947, the Indian government became more involved in providing educational, rehabilitation, and social services. Thus over the past four decades, India has moved gradually toward an inclusive education model. This chapter discusses the implementation of such a model related to the prevalence and incidence rates of disability in India as well as working within family environments that often involve three to four generations. Also included are challenges that an inclusive education system faces in India, namely, a high level of poverty, appropriate teacher preparation of special education teachers, a lack of binding national laws concerned with inclusive education, a dual governmental administration for special education services, and citizen's and special education professionals strong concern about whether inclusive education practices can be carried out.
This study aimed to identify the attitudes of regular school teachers in Delhi, India towards the... more This study aimed to identify the attitudes of regular school teachers in Delhi, India towards the inclusion of students with disabilities. It also explored their views regarding facilitators of inclusive education. Respondents were secondary school teachers working in schools in Delhi which implements inclusive education for students with disabilities. Two focus group interviews with ten participants in each group and 20 individual semi-structured interviews were conducted. The flexible qualitative analysis program QRS NVivo was utilized for data analysis. The major finding of the study was that the teachers held positive attitudes towards the inclusion of students with disabilities. The teachers also suggested a number of facilitators of inclusion in their schools such as improved infrastructure, policy changes, and provisions for institutional resources.
Since the passage of The Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Act in 1995 and subsequent implementatio... more Since the passage of The Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Act in 1995 and subsequent implementation of various policies and programs by the Indian government to enhance the participation of students with disabilities in regular schools, there has been a steady growth of inclusive education. Such initiatives, however, have placed new demands on schools, especially on teachers who have the major responsibility for implementing inclusion at the classroom level. Literature from other countries indicates that for inclusion to be successful, it is essential that classroom teachers’ concerns about implementing such programs be identified and systematically addressed. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of research about teacher concerns regarding inclusive education in India, This study was undertaken to identify the concerns perceived barriers of regular school teachers in Delhi, India about the inclusion of students with disabilities. Respondents were secondary school teachers working in schools in Delhi that were involved in teaching special needs children. Two focus group interviews and 20 individual semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data from the participants. The flexible qualitative analysis program QRS NVivo was utilized for data analysis. Three concerns and eleven barrier themes emerged.
Professional Development in Education, Jan 14, 2013
This study examines the preferences of regular primary and secondary school
teachers in Delhi, I... more This study examines the preferences of regular primary and secondary school
teachers in Delhi, India regarding professional development delivery modes in
the context of inclusive education for students with disabilities. A total of 223
primary school teachers and 130 secondary school teachers responded to a
seven-item Likert-type questionnaire, indicating their preferences for the delivery
modes. The teachers were also requested to list additional delivery modes that
they would like to see being used while receiving in-service training. Data were
analyzed using descriptive statistics, t tests and Spearman rank-order correlation.
The implications for teacher training in India are discussed in terms of the
different models that can improve teacher quality for inclusive education.
Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, Jan 2014
"This study was undertaken to determine the
concerns of primary school teachers about the
inclu... more "This study was undertaken to determine the
concerns of primary school teachers about the
inclusion of students with disabilities in Ahmedabad,
India. A total of 560 teachers, working in
government-run schools, returned the completed
survey. A two-part questionnaire was used in this
study. Part 1 gathered information relating to personal
and professional characteristics of the teachers.
Part 2 was a 21-item Likert scale titled
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question about the supportive resources they require to be
effective in their classrooms. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA and t-tests were used to analyse the data and the results showed that Adapting Instructional Materials, Behaviour Management, among others were important competencies. Teachers in multi-grade classrooms considered particular skills are important, reflecting their challenging roles. The
respondents also identified the availability of teaching materials, support teachers, more training as key support resources, which will enhance their effectiveness in the classroom. We discuss the implications for future teacher training.
elementary school teachers in Gurgaon, India, in order to
work with students with disabilities in inclusive education
settings. A total of 175 teachers responded to a two-part
questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and
inferential statistics. The data indicated that the teachers in
Gurgaon, overall, were a little concerned about implementing
inclusive education in their schools. Significant
difference existed in teacher concerns whether they taught
in government versus privately managed schools. Implications
are discussed to address teacher concerns for
inclusive education in India.
teachers in Delhi, India, about the inclusion of students with disabilities (SWDs) in regular education
classrooms. In this study, with hermeneutic phenomenology as its methodological framework, 15 semistructured
interviews of public school teachers in Delhi were conducted. Each interview, lasting from 30
to 45 min, was recorded and transcribed. The data were analyzed using a constant comparative method.
The following conclusions were drawn: (1) Sociocultural ideologies on disability have affected the education
of SWDs, and (2) systematic institutional barriers have led teachers to accept inclusion only “in
theory.
elementary school teachers in Gurgaon, India, in order to
work with students with disabilities in inclusive education
settings. A total of 175 teachers responded to a two-part
questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and
inferential statistics. The data indicated that the teachers in
Gurgaon, overall, were a little concerned about implementing
inclusive education in their schools. Significant
difference existed in teacher concerns whether they taught
in government versus privately managed schools. Implications
are discussed to address teacher concerns for
inclusive education in India.
teachers in Delhi, India, about the inclusion of students with disabilities (SWDs) in regular education
classrooms. In this study, with hermeneutic phenomenology as its methodological framework, 15 semistructured
interviews of public school teachers in Delhi were conducted. Each interview, lasting from 30
to 45 min, was recorded and transcribed. The data were analyzed using a constant comparative method.
The following conclusions were drawn: (1) Sociocultural ideologies on disability have affected the education
of SWDs, and (2) systematic institutional barriers have led teachers to accept inclusion only “in
theory.”
teachers in Delhi, India regarding professional development delivery modes in
the context of inclusive education for students with disabilities. A total of 223
primary school teachers and 130 secondary school teachers responded to a
seven-item Likert-type questionnaire, indicating their preferences for the delivery
modes. The teachers were also requested to list additional delivery modes that
they would like to see being used while receiving in-service training. Data were
analyzed using descriptive statistics, t tests and Spearman rank-order correlation.
The implications for teacher training in India are discussed in terms of the
different models that can improve teacher quality for inclusive education.
concerns of primary school teachers about the
inclusion of students with disabilities in Ahmedabad,
India. A total of 560 teachers, working in
government-run schools, returned the completed
survey. A two-part questionnaire was used in this
study. Part 1 gathered information relating to personal
and professional characteristics of the teachers.
Part 2 was a 21-item Likert scale titled