Session Information
99 ERC SES 08 C, Sociologies of Education
Paper Session
Contribution
The demographics of students in schools are more diverse than ever in today’s globalized world due to the growing cultural, linguistic, and developmental diversity in classrooms (Florian, 2017).1994 Salamanca Statement and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has started international movement for inclusion to be norm and promoting all students to have equal rights to access to education. Within growing advocacy and policy reforms, inclusive education has been recommended as the most practical way to educate students with needs (Chow et al.). Teachers are seen as key figures/ agents to implement inclusive education and determine the success of inclusion in mainstream schools (de Boer et al., 2011; Feng, 2012; Moberg et al., 2020; Robo, 2014; Shevchenko et al., 2020). In other words, the success of inclusive education heavily relies on teachers using appropriate methods to be able to address to different needs of learners. Yet, teachers reporting lack of competence, insufficient knowledge and not being supported raise an issue (Seo, 2020).
In view of the fact and considering that higher education institutions are offering Teacher Education (TE) programmes for pre-service teachers to be qualified to teach in mainstream classes which in turn raise concerns about how adequate teacher education programmes are and how pre-service teachers should be prepared sufficiently respond to students with diverse needs. TE is divided into two main stages: Initial teacher education and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in which this research will based on ITE for Inclusion in two divergent contexts: Republic of Azerbaijan and Scotland.
This comparative research will discuss the teachers’ role in shaping inclusive education in two contrasting cultural settings: Republic of Azerbaijan and Scotland with a focus on ITE for Inclusion. The research aims to present latest situation of inclusive education, introducing ITE programmes and how inclusion is embedded in the programs. Furthermore, information on how/ what pre-service teachers are being taught to be prepared to teach students with needs in both given contexts will be provided.
The research will employ two theoretical framework: Amarta Sen's capacity approach to explore how ITE programs contribute to building capabilities in pre-service teachers for inclusive practices, and a cross-cultural comparative analysis approach to illuminate factors that foster similarities and differences in ITE programs for inclusion between two countries characterized by divergent educational and cultural norms.
The research question and sub-questions guiding the study are:
1. How does initial teacher education (ITE) programmes prepare pre-service teachers for inclusive practices in the Republic of Azerbaijan and Scotland?
1.1 What differences and similarities exist between Azerbaijani and Scottish’s ITE programmes for inclusion?
1.2 What are experiences of senior pre-service teachers in their involvement with ITE programmes for Inclusion?
1.3 What are the experiences of teacher educators in the context of ITE programs for inclusion?
Method
This study is designed as comparative case-study research which will include higher education institutions in two countries and recruiting teacher educators and last year pre-service teachers to participate in the research. A qualitative approach is considered as the most appropriate way to collect data for the study compiling three research methods: semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis. Document analysis will be applied to review a wide range of documents related to teacher education, teacher education programmes and inclusive education. Data analyses is an effective method as a way of collecting data and at the same time can be used as supplementary method for data triangulation and trustworthiness (credibility) measures (Kutsyuruba, 2023). Teacher educators from various higher education institutions in both mentioned contexts engaged in giving lectures/ seminars or teaching subjects regarding inclusion will be invited to attend semi-structured interviews to receive in depts understanding of their experience in ITE programmes for inclusion. Semi-structured interviews, in contrast to unstructured interviews, allow to explore different directions as conversation unfolds between interviewer and interviewees while maintaining the main focus determined earlier (Magaldi & Berler, 2020). For this reason, it seemed like an appropriate choice to include semi-structured interviews as one of the methods. In addition, senior pre-service teachers attended those ITE programmes will be invited to participate in focus group discussions to reflect on their experiences they obtained in the programmes. Given that focus groups can be utilized in research to learn about students' experiences of a specific teaching (Breen, 2006), and it seems reasonable to use this technique to conduct group interview with student teachers to learn regarding their experiences of ITE programmes for inclusion.
Expected Outcomes
The study is in the early stages and data predicted to be collected commencing from May. However, the study has formulated research gap, presenting research questions and engaged with deep literature review. Prior the conference starting date, it is expected to obtain some raw data to be presented at the conference. While I won’t be able to present the complete study results listed below due to the study is ongoing and will continue both during and after the conference, I will share data gathered before the conference begins. Specifically, the presentation will delve into the complexities of ITE programs for inclusion drawing comparison between Scotland and Azerbaijan. The research outcomes are expected to add crucial contributions to the existing literature by comparing two divergent countries and highlighting how ITE programmes prepare pre-service teachers for inclusion in mainstream schools in Republic of Azerbaijan and Scotland and if there, what similarities and differences between countries emerged during the data collection process. Additionally, the study will explore the reflections of last year pre-service teachers’ experiences who have studied in those programs.
References
Breen, R. L. (2006). A Practical Guide to Focus-Group Research. Journal of geography in higher education, 30(3), 463-475. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098260600927575 Chow, W. S. E., de Bruin, K., & Sharma, U. A scoping review of perceived support needs of teachers for implementing inclusive education. International journal of inclusive education, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2023.2244956 de Boer, A., Pijl, S. J., & Minnaert, A. (2011). Regular primary schoolteachers' attitudes towards inclusive education: a review of the literature. International journal of inclusive education, 15(3), 331-353. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603110903030089 Feng, Y. (2012). Teacher career motivation and professional development in special and inclusive education: perspectives from Chinese teachers. International journal of inclusive education, 16(3), 331-351. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2010.489123 Florian, L. (2017). Teacher Education for the Changing Demographics of Schooling: Inclusive Education for Each and Every Learner. In L. Florian & N. Pantić (Eds.), Teacher Education for the Changing Demographics of Schooling: Issues for Research and Practice (pp. 9-20). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54389-5_2 Kutsyuruba, B. (2023). Document Analysis. In J. M. Okoko, S. Tunison, & K. D. Walker (Eds.), Varieties of Qualitative Research Methods: Selected Contextual Perspectives (pp. 139-146). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04394-9_23 Magaldi, D., & Berler, M. (2020). Semi-structured Interviews. In V. Zeigler-Hill & T. K. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences (pp. 4825-4830). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_857 Moberg, S., Muta, E., Korenaga, K., Kuorelahti, M., & Savolainen, H. (2020). Struggling for inclusive education in Japan and Finland: teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education. European journal of special needs education, 35(1), 100-114. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2019.1615800 Robo, M. (2014). Social inclusion and inclusive education. Academicus international scientific journal, V(10), 181-191. https://doi.org/10.7336/academicus.2014.10.12 Seo, J. (2020). Initial Teacher Education for Inclusion: A Literature Review of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in the United Kingdom and in South Korea. International journal of special education, 35(2), 83. https://doi.org/10.52291/ijse.2020.35.16 Shevchenko, Y., Dubiaha, S. M., Melash, V. D., Fefilova, T., & Saenko, Y. О. (2020). The Role of Teachers in the Organization of Inclusive Education of Primary School Pupils. International Journal of Higher Education.
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