Attitudes And Self Efficacy Of Jamaican Teachers Towards Inclusion After Co Teaching In An Inclusive Classroom

Master's Thesis from the year 2019 in the subject Pedagogy - School System, Educational and School Politics, grade: 72.00, Roehampton University London (Laureate), course: Master of Arts in Inclusive and Special Education, language: English, abstract: This study should bring awareness to the Ministry of Education and Teacher Training Colleges that traditional lecture style training without relevant practicum may be preventing the facilitation of inclusion. Despite Jamaica's Ministry of Education having established an inclusive education policy in 2008, the majority of children with special needs are kept at home. With very little inclusion in schools and segregation of students with special needs (SWSN), teachers in Jamaica have not experienced inclusion and do not feel adequately equipped to facilitate it. Literature shows that teachers with experience only in traditional classrooms, and no exposure to diverse students are likely to be resistant to, or unable to, implement inclusion. Teachers also tend to implement inclusive teaching methods and adopt better attitudes after hands-on experience, modelling with a co-teacher. Five teachers participated in a 2-week training condition, each teacher was provided with an inclusive classroom and an experienced inclusive teacher (mentor). The first week the teacher is assisting the mentor, the second week the mentor assists the teacher with lesson planning and teaching. Teachers were given 2 self-rating questionnaires before and after training to measure whether their attitudes and self-efficacy improved and whether a direct measure of attitude and self-efficacy towards inclusion could be predicted after training. Another questionnaire was given 2 weeks after training that measured the potential success of training through implementation. Using paired sample t-tests for both attitude and self-efficacy scores it was found that all 5 teachers could be predicted to show an increase in both attitude and self-efficacy scores after training. It was also found using independent sample means tests that teachers without any previous experience teaching SWSN gained a larger difference in attitudes compared to teachers who already had experience however there was no difference in gains in self-efficacy.

Many middle school students with learning disabilities obtain their education in general education classrooms. These classroom settings are referred to as inclusion classrooms. We must not only consider that the student population is becoming increasingly more diverse, but we must also consider that the educators who teach in these type of classrooms are diverse as well. Teacher qualifications, training, and education that educators receive before and after entering a classroom can be quite varied and really important when considering the work that needs to be done to ensure successful inclusion classrooms. Within an inclusion classroom, success requires a collaborative instructional effort between special educators, general educators, and para-educators. The purpose of this research is to highlight teacher diversity in qualifications and training and identify factors that make teachers feel more or less confident in inclusion classrooms. This research explains key components of teaching - classroom management, instructional strategies, and student engagement - and the similarities and differences found between teachers in inclusion classrooms. This research is very important to all involved in the teaching and learning in inclusion classrooms, to include aspiring teachers, new teachers, experienced teachers, paraprofessionals, educational specialists, professional development and training staff, instructors for teachers, administrators, and policy makers. KEY SEARCH TERMS: administration, alternative teaching, attitudes, attrition, behaviors, bias, Bonferroni's Post Hoc Test, burnout, classroom management, co-teaching models, collaboration, confounding variable, content review, curriculum, disabilities, educational goals, educators, efficacy, Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), general education, Gibson and Dembo Teacher Efficacy Scale, inclusion classroom models, Individual with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), instructional content, instructional management, instructional model, instructional models, instructional practices, instructional strategies, lack of motivation, lead/support model, learning disabilities, Levene's Test of Equality of Error, models, motivation, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), para-educator, para-professionals, parallel teaching, pre-service, professional development & training, retention, role models, self-efficacy, socialization, special education services, station teaching, stress, student behaviors, student engagement, teacher experience, teacher qualifications, teacher self-efficacy, teacher training, Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES), team teaching model, vicarious experiences, years of experience

Caribbean Discourse in Inclusive Education Volume II “Responding to Learner Diversity and Learner Difficulties” shares selected critical reflections and recommendations on the way educational communities respond to student diversity and difficulties learning. These contexts include the Caribbean, the Diaspora, and beyond. Authors explore issues and strategies for realizing and sustaining the agenda of education for all within primarily, but not limited to, the Caribbean. While the authors are aware of the ongoing debate between the terms ‘education for all’ and ‘inclusive education’, we use these terms interchangeably. We hold the position that inclusive education is about commitment to removing barriers to optimum learning for all learners regardless of age, ability, ethnicity, gender, geography, race, religion, sexual orientation or other differences. ‘Responding to Learner Diversity and Difficulties’ extend the discourse to include stakeholders committed to sharing their experiences and strategies for overcoming barriers to inclusive education. This second volume presents research that examines how teachers can respond to students with disabilities and difficulties learning, teach challenging curriculum content in mathematics and literacy, build citizenship through student voice, improve teacher practice via co-teaching and critical reflection, promote inclusive practice through leadership and advocacy. It can be used as a core text or companion reader for students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, lecturers, practitioners, researchers and policy makers.

How can you develop effective teaching strategies so that all the children in your classroom are included in meaningful and enriching learning experiences? What can you do to help young people from diverse backgrounds achieve their full potential? Addressing the wide variety of issues of diversity and inclusion routinely encountered in today’s classrooms, this comprehensive text provides both a theoretical background and practical strategies. Chapters from leading figures on inclusive education present and analyse the latest debates, research studies and current initiatives, including considerations for teaching and learning and concluding with key questions for reflection and additional resources. Moving beyond simple theory about diversity, to what this means for real teachers’ practice, the contributions focus on issues relating to values and professional practice for teachers, emphasising inclusive approaches and the importance of understanding the perspectives of learners. Topics discussed include: understanding inclusive education ethnic and cultural diversity challenging behaviour bullying gender identity and sexuality gifted and talented learners traveller children special educational needs collaborative working in schools the perspective of parents. Designed to stimulate and strengthen teachers’ professional understanding, the book also reflects on legislative duties, personal values and the importance of listening to the voice of individuals who experience disadvantage in educational settings. Teaching and Learning in Diverse and Inclusive Classrooms is a key resource for teachers, supporting their learning throughout their initial training and early professional development. It will also be of interest to more experienced teachers interested in diversity and inclusion, particularly those mentoring NQTs through their induction and Masters level studies.

Exclusionary pressures and practices are pervasive in education, despite the clamour for more inclusive education. Even as classrooms worldwide become more diverse, education is unlikely to become inclusive without deliberate efforts to dismantle exclusion and enable inclusion. This book is a compilation of contributions to the conversation about what these efforts might entail. The conversation has its origins in the Making Education Inclusive Conference held in 2013, which brought together academics and practitioners from Southern Africa and other countries. Given the expectation that teachers should play a key role in promoting inclusion, it is not surprising to find significant interest in teacher education from many of the contributing authors. Their concerns range from explicit teacher development for pedagogical responsiveness to learner diversity, to overcoming the epistemological marginalisation that learners experience where teachers are not fully confident of their subject content and how to teach it. Access to education is clearly not enough, and other contributors to this book concern themselves with ways in which structures and systems could be reconstituted to enable meaningful inclusion. This might mean looking at how teachers might use tiered systems of behaviour support and various metacognitive strategies, how physical access can be promoted on a university campus, and understanding how parents think about disability. Each chapter represents a different perspective on what it might mean to resist educational exclusion in its many forms, and each offers possible ways to make education more inclusive.