Initial teacher education for inclusive education (IE) plays an indispensable role in implementing inclusive classroom settings, and the review of the scientific literature has shown a global need for improvement of teachers’ practices about IE. This paper aims to examine the impact of initial teacher training for students with special educational needs (SEN) on teachers’ attitudes and beliefs towards IE environments. Firstly, a bibliometric analysis using a criteria-based approach was conducted, consisting of 41 articles, of which only 16 were determined eligible. Secondly, a questionnaire based survey on teachers’ opinions of IE (N = 107) was applied to primary and secondary school educators from mainstream schools. Results show that teachers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of students with disabilities (SWD) are generally positive, albeit their knowledge about IE principles and practices is often poor. In summary, the goals of this research have been met, and the findings can be used to conduct IE training programs for elementary and middle school teachers.

Author: Alexandra Constantin

Published in: Ireland International Conference on Education (IICE-2023)

• Date of Conference: 11-13 April 2023
• DOI: 10.20533/IICE.2023.0032
• ISBN: 978-1-913572-51-8
• Conference Location: Dún Laoghaire, Ireland