Introduction 

Since 2010, inclusive education has been a significant principle in the Estonian education system implying that all students (including students with special educational needs) typically participate in regular mainstream schools with their peers (Basic Schools and…, 2010). The number of students with special educational needs has increased in regular schools after the law’s implementation in 2010 (Eesti Hariduse Infosüsteem, 2023). According to the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research (2022) about one-fifth of the students from mainstream schools need extra support while learning. However, implementing inclusive education in the classroom is a big challenge for Estonian schools. One of the main bottlenecks is inadequate knowledge of evidence-based effective teaching practices in classrooms with students of varying abilities and skill levels. There is not enough evidence in the Estonian context on how inclusive principles are implemented in the classroom and how the development of students with diverse abilities and skill levels is effectively supported. 

Research has shown that in a diverse classroom, where children with different levels of competence and support needs learn together, learning is more effective when the teacher adapts teaching to the needs of each student (e.g. Jung et al., 2018), applying different inclusive practices (Finkelstein et al., 2021). Based on a systematic analysis of scientific literature, Finkelstein et al. (2021) have divided teaching methods that support inclusive practices, into five key topics: 1) collaboration and teamwork, 2) determining progress, 3) instructional practices, 4) organisational practices, 5) social/emotional/behavioural support. Collaboration and teamwork involves how a teacher collaborates with colleagues, professionals from other institutions, and students’ families. Determining progress refers to how a teacher monitors and assesses students’ progress and outcomes. Instructional practices encompass the content, methods, and individualization of teaching. Organisational practices are the structures and the procedures used, to ensure all students can access the learning process. Social/emotional/behavioural support means creating a positive classroom climate that addresses everyone's social and emotional needs (Finkelstein et al., 2021). It is found that skillful individualization and differentiation positively affect the learning outcomes of children with different abilities (Jung et al., 2018) and students’ learning motivation (Guay et al., 2017).

Although these practices are well-elaborated in literature, it is not clear whether and how these are implemented in Estonian classrooms and which professional development needs teachers have related to these practices.

The Aim of the Study and Research Questions 

The study aimed to identify which inclusive practices the second grade teachers implement in the classroom and what are teachers’ professional development needs in the context of inclusive practices according to their perceptions.

The following research questions were formulated: 

1. Which inclusive practices do second-grade teachers in Estonia implement in the classroom according to their perception?

2. What are the teachers’ additional professional development needs in the context of inclusive practices according to their perception?

Significance of the study 

In brief, the study gives an overview of which inclusive practices are implemented by second-grade teachers in Estonian schools and what the teachers’ additional professional development needs are. The results are necessary for developing the pre- and in-service teacher training programs to improve teacher preparation, and more broadly, for the effective implementation of inclusive education in general education, enabling all learners to be more effectively supported by knowledgeable teachers. Although the study was conducted in the Estonian context, the findings are relevant for other contexts as well, since teachers in many countries (see e.g. OECD, 2019) struggle with implementing inclusive education practices and have high needs for related professional development.

The qualitative study sample was conducted with 22 second-grade teachers from Estonian mainstream schools. The target sample was selected based on the sampling criterion that the teachers’ classes included students with different support needs and/or students studying in different curricula. Participation in the study was voluntary, and the researchers guaranteed confidentiality. All participants provided written consent to take part in the study. Data collection is still in-progress. Data is collected through semi-structured interviews. The interview begins with background questions (e.g. How long have You worked at school?). The second part focuses on implementing inclusive practices (e.g. What do You do to implement inclusive education in the classroom?) The third part of the interview includes questions about teachers’ professional development needs (e.g. What kind of knowledge and skills do You lack to support the development and learning of all students more effectively?). Finally, the interviewee was offered the opportunity to add more information about learning and teaching in the inclusive classroom. The interview questions were compiled on the basis of the inclusive practices framework developed by Finkelstein et al. (2021). The interview plan and the questions were previously piloted. Before the interviews the research purpose and confidentiality requirements are explained and confirmed. The interviews are recorded and the permission for recording is requested from the interviewees. The average duration of the interview is 90 minutes. Qualitative deductive and inductive analysis is used to analyse the data. Deductive content analysis, based on the inclusive practices framework developed by Finkelstein et al. (2021) is employed to address the first research question. Inductive content analysis is used to answer the second research question. The qualitative data analysis web application QCAmap (qcamap.org) is used. First, the data is transcribed and all the names and identifiable phrases are replaced by pseudonyms. Then the data is analysed by research questions. For the both research questions, the meaningful items are found and coded independently. After the initial coding, for the first research question, the codes are reviewed and categorised according to the inclusive practices framework. For the second research question, the initial codes are reviewed and categorised based on similarity of the code content. Repeated coding and partial co-coding of the data are carried out to ensure the quality of the data analysis. In case of differences, coding and categorization decisions are discussed with research co-authors until a consensus is reached.

The study provides an overview of the inclusive practices implemented by second-grade teachers in Estonian schools and the additional professional development needs of the teachers. Results help to develop the pre- and in-service teacher training programs to improve implementation of inclusive practices in general education. Data collection and analysis are in progress. The preliminary results of the study indicate that Estonian second-grade teachers are not regularly involved in collaboration and teamwork in the classroom. However, teachers have had positive experiences working with assistant teachers and the cooperation was described as rather useful. Teachers pointed out lack of time and workload as the main reasons why collaboration with colleagues can be challenging. The interviews reveal that in some cases, teachers provide more support and determine the progress of students with special learning difficulties (e.g when during some lessons the students are taught separately from their peers by a support specialist). Additionally, when creating groups, teachers explained that student needs and abilities are taken into account in order to form groups with varying knowledge levels. Teachers employ various strategies to accommodate the diverse needs and abilities of their students. They provide appropriate time allocations, offer extra or more advanced tasks for the faster students and encourage them to assist struggling peers. In the context of teachers’ professional development needs, teachers find it useful when colleagues from their school or outside professionals observe their lessons to provide feedback. The interviews also indicate that teachers need suggestions for how to keep students focusing on lesson tasks. The study has some limitations. More precisely, the sample consists of 20 second-grade teachers, which constrains the ability to generalize the findings more broadly. Additionally, incorporating observations of lessons as a supplementary data collection method could have enriched the results and bolstered the validity of the study.

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