After a long debate on inclusive education, the implementation of inclusion is now broadly launched in many European countries. However, while often a two track system of special and inclusive education is still in place, in many schools inclusive education is just about to begin. In the meanwhile, inclusion has become more difficult to grasp, requiring not only feasible practices to include students at risk for drop out or students with special educational needs, but also a full commitment of staff and the development of collaborative learning communities (Ainscow, 2005; Howes et al., 2004). Preparing for inclusion, both research and practice have searched for exemplary inclusive strategies that put inclusion into practice in challenging contexts and acknowledge the multidimensional processes both at the school and classroom level (Avramidis, Bayliss, & Burden, 2002; Carrington & Robinson, 2004; Florian & Rouse, 2009; Timor & Burton, 2006). In particular secondary education represents a challenging context as such (Pearce, Gray, & Campbell-Evans, 2010). Studies on inclusion in secondary schools confirmed the need for collaborative practices among staff and peers (Eisenman, Pleet, Wandry, & McGinley, 2010; Mastropieri et al., 2005; Scruggs, Mastropieri, & McDuffie, 2007). A shift from subject-based teaching to a more student-focused approach, acknowledging effective teaching for all, positive teacher-student relationships, high quality instruction, student autonomy and self-determination of students with special educational needs (Agran, Blanchard, Wehmeyer, & Hughes, 2002; Hafen et al., 2012; Murray & Pianta, 2007; Pianta & Hamre, 2009), often depends on a broader context of inclusive culture and collaboration. Many challenges remain in the area of attitudes, perceived self-efficacy of teachers, leadership, grouping and program structures, adapting the curriculum and social participation (Boscardin, 2005; Bossaert, Colpin, Pijl, & Petry, 2011; Browder, Spooner, Wakeman, Trela, & Baker, 2006; Cushing, Carter, Clark, Wallis, & Kennedy, 2008; Ellins & Porter, 2005; Myklebust, 2006; Pearce et al., 2010; Sharma, Forlin, Loreman, & Earle, 2006; Shippen et al., 2011). In addition, school wide prevention and tiered systems of support (Hill & Brown, 2013; Marino & Beecher, 2010) require positive attitudes towards students’ transitions throughout secondary school, often hampered by a streaming system of either general education classrooms or vocational classes from an early age on. In secondary education, the challenge of educational change towards inclusion is complex and on the cutting edge of a broad accountability debate. In moving towards inclusion, the need for collaborative social learning processes of school teams stands out. In a process of educational change, collaborative practices replace the former emphasis on students with special needs by social learning processes that allow staff and peers to reconstruct the meaning of learning, inclusion and disability (Ainscow, 2004; Grenier, 2010).

As such, preparing student teachers for inclusive practice in secondary schools, may be hampered by the lack of belonging to a professional community, effective role-models for inclusion and a common language among professionals. Therefore teacher educators and schools offering inclusive practice experiences for pre-service secondary teachers need to enhance effective practices and reflective practice on inclusion. The purpose of this study is to investigate student teachers’ reflective practice on the use of inclusive strategies in vocational classes in secondary schools, based on a formerly developed model of universal teaching in inclusive classrooms (Authors, i.p.). The research question addressed is: how can the use of a model of universal teaching in inclusive classrooms enhance competence development and self-efficacy of student teachers in secondary inclusive practice?   

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