Evaluating The Long Term Effects of In-service Teacher Training on Regular Elementary School Teachers’ Towards Inclusive Education in India.

Author(s):

Meenakshi Srivastava(presenting / submitting)Dr. Anke De Boer Prof. Dr. Sip Jan Pijl

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

04. Inclusive Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

04 SES 09 C, Teacher Pre-and In-Service Education: The Contribution to Inclusive Education

Paper Session

Time:

2014-09-04

11:00-12:30

Room:

B026 Anfiteatro

Chair:

Susanne Schwab

Contribution

The progress of inclusive education in India has been in line with the international guiding principles. Various policies have been formulated towards implementing the inclusive education for students with Special Educational Needs (SEN). However, while translating policies into action certain gaps require attention. One such gap is the teacher preparation to include students with SEN in regular classrooms, because of new policies, students are being included and teachers are clueless in addressing the SEN. Internationally, studies have pointed out the importance of teacher’s preparation in inclusive education (Rose, 2001; Forlin, 2010). More specifically, it is argued here that three factors are important in teacher preparation and for teachers to respond to a diverse student population: 1) attitude (Avramidis et. al., 2000), 2) knowledge about types of SEN (Bishop & Boag, 2006; Croft, 2010), and 3) knowledge about inlcusive teaching methods (Rix et. al., 2009). In Indian context these three factors have largely been neglected because there is hardly literature available about teacher-preparation and their effects in managing the SEN. There is a serious lack of empirical research evaluating the effectiveness of training programmes in including students with SEN. (Singal, 2009). Moreover, the studies have reported the immediate effects of the in-service training programmes (Male, 2011; Seçer, 2010). This study takes a step further and evaluates the effects of in-service training programme after one year of its initial delivery and a follow-up training programme, provided to the regular school teachers.

It aims to answer thefollowing research questions: 1). What is the effect of an in-service training programme on the attitude towards inclusive education, knowledge about SEN and teaching methods on regular elementary school teachers in (Jaipur) India? 2). What behavioural changes has the in-service training program brought in the daily practices of teachers?

Method

Design This study has a pre-post test control group design, in which both control and experimental group consist of 39 teachers (N=39). Participants Participants were 39 (N=39) regular primary school teachers from Jaipur. Teachers in both control (n=20) and experimental group (n=19) were selected using the criteria: i) schools did not have experience with special education or children with SEN, 2) affiliated to a common board of education, and 3) did not have students with SEN as a diagnosis in their classroom. Measures For the first research question, the study focused on three outcomes measures, namely: attitudes, knowledge about four types of SEN, and teaching methods using a questionnaire. The questionnaire is described below. The questionnaire consisted of four sections. Section one had general details including demographic information of the participants. Section two measured attitudes towards inclusive education, (adapted from Multidimensional Attitudes toward Inclusive Education Scale (MATIES), Mahat (2008). Section three measured knowledge about the four types of SEN namely intellectual disability, dyslexia, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and autism. Since there was no scale available, a vignette based scale was developed by the authors. Section four measured the knowledge about inclusive teaching methods (adapted from Florian (2006). In adaptation according to Indian context, reliability of three scales of the questionnaire was ascertained with appropriate Cronbha’s alpha values. For the second research question, qualitative approach of semi-structured interviews of the participants was used. The semi structured open-ended questions were based on typological analytical method. The follow up of INSET programme The INSET programme consisted of two days training module. A total number of six sessions (12 hours) were given in line with the previous four days training module which was delivered one year earlier.

Expected Outcomes

As the follow-up training module will be given in the next two months, no results can be reported yet. The results are analysed in august, and will be presented at the ECER.

References

Avramidis, E., Bayliss, P., & Burden, R. (2000). A survey into mainstream teachers' attitudes towards the inclusion of children with special educational needs in the ordinary school in one local education authority. Educational Psychology, 20(2), 191-211. Bishop, M., & Boag, E. M. (2006). Teachers' knowledge about epilepsy and attitudes toward students with epilepsy: Results of a national survey. Epilepsy & Behavior, 8(2), 397-405. Croft, A. (2010). Including disabled children in learning: Challenges in developing countries. CREATE pathways to access. research monograph no. 36. Consortium for Research on Educational Access, Transitions,and Equity;: Online Submission. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED510913&site=ehost-live&scope=site Florian, L. (2006). Teaching strategies: For some or for all? Kairaranga, 7, 24-27. Forlin,C. (2010). Developing and implementing quality inclusive education in Hong Kong: implications for teacher education. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs. 10, 177-184. Mahat, M. (2008). The development of a psychometrically-sound instrument to measure teachers' multidimensional attitudes toward inclusive education. International Journal of Special Education, 23(1), 82-92. Male, D.B. (2011). The impact of professional development programme on teachers’ attitude towards inclusion. Support for learning, 26(4), 182-186. Rix, J., Hall, K., Nind, M., Sheehy, K., & Wearmouth, J. (2009). What pedagogical approaches can effectively include children with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms? A systematic literature review. Support for Learning, 24(2), 86-94. Rose. R. (2001). Primary school teacher’s perceptions of the conditions required to include pupils with special educational needs. Educational Review, 53(2), 147-156. Seçer, Z. (2010). An analysis of the effects of in-service teacher training on Turkish preschool teachers' attitudes towards inclusion. International Journal of Early Years Education, 18(1), 43-53. Singal, N. (2009). Education of children with disabilities in India. Retrieved Jan, 23, 2013, http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001866/186611e.pdf

Author Information

Meenakshi Srivastava (presenting / submitting)

University of Groningen

Special Needs Education

Groningen

Dr. Anke De Boer

University of Groningen, Netherlands, The

Prof. Dr. Sip Jan Pijl

University of Groningen, Netherlands, The; Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

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