The impact of teacher training in special education on the implementation of inclusion in mainstream classrooms

ABSTRACT

One of the most controversial problems regarding educational inclusion is the inherent contradiction between high demands and special needs. Faced with this challenge, many general education teachers turn to training programmes to compensate for special education knowledge they lack and to acquire special education teaching techniques. In this study conducted in Israel, 10 teachers who recently participated in a special education training programme were interviewed. The interviews revealed their frustration, in view of the absence of any preparation that would enable teachers in mainstream classes to accommodate students with learning disabilities. Importantly, the interviewees reported that after completing their coursework in special education, they experienced a change in their attitudes as well as in their ability to effectively implement inclusion in their classrooms. These findings add to the growing body of research [(Sokal and Sharma 2014. “In-service Teachers’ Concerns, Efficacy, and Attitudes About Inclusive Teaching and its Relationship with Teacher Training.” Exceptionality Education International 23 (1): 59–71; 2017. “Do I Really Need a Course to Learn to Teach Students with Disabilities? I’ve Been Doing It for Years.” Canadian Journal of Education/Revue Ccanadienne de Ll'éducation 40 (4): 739–760; Van Mieghem, Verschueren, Petry and Struyf, 2018. “An Analysis of Research on Inclusive Education: A Systematic Search and Meta Review.” International Journal of Inclusive Education, 1–15] that emphasises the importance of training teachers in mainstream frameworks to effectively address the special needs of their students. Thus, the current study concludes that not only special-education teachers should be privy to this knowledge, as is the current practice; rather, all teacher-education programmes should incorporate courses aimed at facilitating inclusive education.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Orly Crispel

Dr. Orly Crispel, Head of the Department of Special Education, pedagogic instructor and lecturer in the field of Special Education at Shaanan Teachers' College. She teaches qualitative research for undergraduate and graduate students. She has published articles on the professional development of the teacher in the field of learning disabilities and their impact on practice and attitudes towards inclusion.

Ronen Kasperski

Dr. Ronen Kasperski, received his Ph.D. from the Department of Learning Disabilities at University of Haifa. Ronen works as pedagogic instructor and lecturer in the field of special education at Shaanan Teachers' College and at Gordon College of Education. In recent years he has dealt extensively with diagnosing children with learning disabilities and finding ways to cope with learning disabilities through theory-based intervention programs.