Context

Inclusive education is generally accepted as the most reasonable, just and successful approach to educating all kinds of learners, with and without disabilities (Florian, 2010; Forlin, 2018a).

Having worked as a special educator in schools across different Indian cities and states, I have realized that without equipping the mainstream teachers, no significant impact on the experiences of students with disabilities and other diverse needs can be made. This research study was conducted to investigate the professional development needs of mainstream teachers in catering to diverse learners, challenges faced and to provide a framework for professional development. This paper reports on one aspect of this study – professional development needs.

Teacher training for inclusion

Forlin (2018b) cites the work of Porakari et.al (2015) to emphasise the point that for inclusion to be effective, teachers need to be both aware of its meaning and also able to plan their classes  such that that they are able to meet the needs of the diverse learners in their classrooms. However, she avers that in most of the Asia- Pacific region, there is no clarity on the policy related to training of teachers as well as a lack of concurrence on parameters such as the duration and type of such training. This corroborates my experience as most schools I’ve worked with have various training programs, yet there is no consistency or linkage to inclusive practices.

Training teachers such that they are able to cater to all learners also features prominently among the teaching reforms listed by the EFA Global monitoring report (2013-14). In a paper commenting upon the report, Singal et.al.(2010), contend that training of mainstream teachers is one of four critical factors that are vital to make inclusive education in India a reality. This need is further emphasized in the work of researchers who have explored the challenges of developing a more inclusive approach to education in several parts of India (Sharma, Moore, and Sonawane, 2009; Das, Gichuru, and Singh, 2013) and have considered the education of children with special educational needs in urban communities.

Studies conducted on teachers’ preparedness and competence by Jangira et.al. (1995) and Das (2001) revealed that a significant majority of the teachers were neither trained in special education nor did they have the requisite skills to teach students with disabilities. Recent studies of Indian teacher concerns regarding their abilities to include learners with special educational needs and disabilities in their classrooms also suggest that there are significant deficiencies in their understanding, knowledge and skills in this area (Sharma et.al. 2009; Bhatnagar and Das 2013), and this has been identified as an area in need of greater research to understand how progress can be made (Unnikrishnan 2010). As literature on multi-location studies that focus on the professional development needs of this sample is limited, this study contributes to this area.

The study has its theoretical underpinnings in a social constructivist model influenced by Vygotsky (1978) that regarded learning as a social process influenced by external factors such as community and culture. It proposes that individuals develop understanding and meaning through their interactions with other people and society (Leeds-Hurwitz, 2009). The kind of society one is brought up in, the system of values and beliefs of one’s family are factors that influence the thought processes of individuals and shape their beliefs and philosophy. This is also true of teachers-as individual learners and their understanding of student learning. Therefore social constructivism provides the foundation for this research study- the questions it seeks to answer and the background against which the findings are interpreted.

The research reported here adopted a mixed methods and multi-step approach where data was collected in two stages utilizing an online questionnaire, focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. This approach was considered appropriate as it would provide both a broad overview and in-depth analysis to address the research questions (Plano-Clark, 2017). The research was conducted in the four metropolitan cities of India- Kolkata, Bangalore, Delhi-NCR (National Capital region-includes the cities of Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida) and Mumbai. The constraints of resources such as time, cost and practicality were considered in deciding upon a sampling frame. The schools considered for the research were mainstream, English medium schools, with a student strength of between 2000-2500 and staff strength of about 100-150. All these schools have a mixed population of students and are affiliated to one of the two Central Indian Boards, ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education) or CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education)- the two national educational boards recognised all over the country for secondary education. A sampling frame of 2 schools from each location was considered necessary for the data collection. Consent was obtained from ten schools -2 each in Delhi and Kolkata and 3 each in Mumbai and Bangalore. The initial survey was used to obtain demographic and qualitative data to assist in determining teacher needs and apprehensions in relation to the education of learners with a range of needs and disabilities. An online questionnaire was used to ease the process of collecting data from different locations and enable greater control and organization. A total number of 279 responses to the online survey were received. This was followed by a series of focus groups and semi-structured interviews to gain greater insights into the personal and professional experiences of teachers and to understand their challenges, professional development needs and preferred learning modes. One school from each of these locations, which consented to be a part of the second stage of the research was chosen for the purpose. 2 focus group discussions were conducted in each school with each group comprising 6-7 participating teachers. Interviews with the other key stake holders such as the heads of schools, special educators, section heads and counselors helped to understand the teachers’ challenges and needs from their perspective. A total of 8 focus groups with teachers and 16 semi- structured interviews with other stakeholders were conducted. A thematic analysis of the data was done.

The findings discussed here are under theme 2 -Professional development needs of teachers. The sub-themes explored under this theme were: Knowledge & skills related to diverse needs, Curriculum related and Personal attributes. Common findings across schools indicated that the professional development needs under the sub-theme teachers’ knowledge and skills related to knowledge about different kinds of special needs, emotional and behavioural difficulties in the classroom, identification of needs and support, differentiated instruction, understanding and effectively supporting parents of students with special needs, lesson planning and classroom management. The curriculum based needs included subject and age specific training and Board related accommodations. The factors identified under personal attributes of teachers dealt with teacher attitudes, sensitivity and soft skills training. While most of the above findings were common across the locations, there were some unexpected findings. Some of these were the need for teachers to have a stress management workshop and regular opportunities to express their problems and frustrations. It was proposed that they should be provided with avenues to reduce stress. Some participants were of the view that “Nothing can replace hands on experience, no matter how many workshops or trainings one might have attended.” As another respondent expressed, “It has to come from within. A teacher with a good heart can understand the needs of every child. No workshop or seminar can make a teacher practice inclusiveness unless the teacher understands the need to do it.” While I do concur that certain traits in teachers are inherent, I also believe that well designed professional development programs can positively influence teachers’ competencies, skills and practices. As Florian and Camedda (2020) also contend, a renewed approach of thinking and focus is required to prepare teachers and support them to deliver effectively in diverse classrooms.

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