Program quality characteristics in segregated and inclusive early childhood settings

Program quality characteristics in 58 community-based early childhood settings which were currently serving at least one child with disabilities were examined. Observations of the environment and classrooms practices were conducted in the classrooms and teachers completed questionnaires related to beliefs in and implementation of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP). Results indicated that segregated and inclusive settings were generally similar across measures of program quality and levels of quality were moderately good in both types of settings. Teacher demographic variables were not related to the selected program quality indicators. The similarity in selected quality characteristics may reflect ongoing convergence in practice and quality in early childhood and early childhood special education settings.     

Attitudes and self‐efficacy of pre‐service teachers towards inclusion in Pakistan

This study sought to determine the attitudes and teaching self‐efficacy of pre‐service teachers towards the inclusion of students with disabilities into regular classrooms. A questionnaire was administered to 194 pre‐service Pakistani teachers (male 73, female 121) enrolled in a 1‐year teacher education programme at a government university in Pakistan. Overall, male pre‐service teachers expressed more positive attitudes than their female counterparts regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classrooms. Surprisingly, those pre‐service teachers majoring in special education did not express more positive attitudes towards inclusion than their counterparts who were preparing to teach in mainstream schools. However, participants with training in special education, knowledge of disability legislation, teaching experience and personal experience with a disability reported higher levels of self‐efficacy towards teaching within inclusive settings. The findings of the study are discussed with possible implications for policy‐makers and teacher educators in Pakistan and other countries in the South Asian region.     

Attitudes of special education teachers towards using technology in inclusive classrooms: a mixed‐methods study

The purpose of this mixed‐methods study was to explore special education teachers’ attitudes towards using technology in inclusive classrooms in Oman. The sample consisted of 428 special education teachers working in Omani public schools (250 teachers of students with learning disabilities (LD), 90 teachers of students with intellectual disability and 88 teachers of students with hearing impairment). Participants responded to the attitudes towards computers questionnaire. For the qualitative section of this study, three semi‐structured group interviews were conducted with a group of special education teachers: 15 teachers of students with hearing impairment, 15 teachers of students with intellectual disabilities and 15 teachers of students with LD). Also, the teachers responded to a survey of educational technology which encompassed seven questions about computer technology. Results of the study indicated that the special education teachers’ attitudes towards using computers were generally positive. The most notable positive attitudes were in the following subscales: special education considerations, staff development considerations, computers use in society, and computers and quality of instruction issues. The analysis of variance results showed that experience and type of disability did not have a significant effect on teachers’ attitudes towards technology.     

Social integration of deaf children in inclusive settings

This article examines social integration of deaf children in inclusive settings in The Netherlands. Eighteen Grade 1-5 deaf children and their 344 hearing classmates completed 2 sociometric tasks, peer ratings and peer nomination, to measure peer acceptance, social competence, and friendship relations. Deaf and hearing children were found to be similar in their peer acceptance and friendship relations, but differences occurred in social competence. Deaf children scored lower than hearing children on prosocial behavior and higher on socially withdrawn behavior. Structural equation modeling showed peer acceptance, social competence, and friendship relations to be stable over time, and the structure of interrelations between variables at 2 measurements were found to be the same for deaf and hearing participants.     

Monitoring trends and accuracy of self‐efficacy beliefs during interventions: Advantages and potential applications to school‐based settings

Self‐efficacy measures are context‐specific assessment tools designed to evaluate students' perceptions of capability to attain specific outcomes on particular tasks. These measures are important because they possess several desirable features typical of progress‐monitoring tools (i.e., context specific, free of reactive effects, strong psychometric properties), have been shown to be strong predictors of motivated and self‐regulatory behaviors, and possess many advantages relative to more global self‐report scales of motivation. In this article, a general framework for using these scales as a supplemental assessment tool to behavioral or skill‐based assessments will be presented and discussed. The key focus of this article involves illustrating how practitioners can evaluate and interpret the trends in students' self‐efficacy judgments as well as the accuracy of these judgments during the implementation and evaluation of academic interventions. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Supporting and inhibiting the well‐being of early career secondary school teachers: Extending self‐determination theory

This paper reports an original examination of the well‐being of early career secondary school teachers in England, which extends the evidence bases relating to early career teachers’ working lives, teacher well‐being, self‐determination theory and performativity, respectively. Drawing on a secondary analysis of qualitative data generated for four separate empirical studies between 2005 and 2013, in a context in which teachers’ work was subject to unparalleled external regulation, the authors examine the extent to which the well‐being of early career teachers can be explained by self‐determination theory, which posits that well‐being is enhanced when innate psychological needs for competence, relatedness and autonomy are satisfied. The findings suggest that satisfaction of these three basic psychological needs is a necessary but not sufficient condition for optimising the well‐being of early career teachers, which is dependent upon the interaction of a wider range of individual, relational and micro‐, meso‐ and macro‐environmental factors. Amongst the recommendations for policy and practice, policymakers and school leaders are urged to uphold their duty of care to newly and recently qualified teachers by doing their utmost to create conditions for the optimisation of such teachers' well‐being. Several specific means of bringing this about are proposed, together with a checklist for those concerned to support the well‐being of early career teachers.     

Attitudes of preschool and primary school pre-service teachers towards inclusive education

Teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion are important as they have the primary responsibility of implementing inclusive education. Attitudes at the beginning of teaching careers are likely to predict future attitudes. Some studies show a drop in attitudes after leaving university education. Using the Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Inclusion (Amended) questionnaire, 465 pre-service teachers (located in Victoria, Australia) from primary school and preschool streams were examined to determine the effect of a number of independent factors on Total Inclusion Score; a measure of attitudes towards inclusion. Two-way ANOVAs revealed module (unit) and year of study to be significant factors. A multiple regression showed the factors combined accounted for 10% of the variance in Total Inclusion Score. Participants who had studied a module (unit) on inclusive education or were in later years of study were more positive towards inclusive education based on Total Inclusion Score from the questionnaire. No significant differences for Total Inclusion Score were found between pre-service teachers that study primary school teaching or preschool teaching. It is concluded that studying a module on inclusive education is a particularly important factor in the development of pre-service teacher attitudes towards inclusion.     

How students conceptualize grade‐based acceleration in inclusive settings

Despite extensive research supporting educational acceleration for students with high academic ability, some psychologists, counselors, and educators express concerns about accelerative interventions. Such concerns often hinge on uncertainty about social acceptance, even in inclusive education settings. Research on acceleration has consistently shown benefits for students with high ability; however, there is a lack of research about grade‐based acceleration in inclusive schools. This study engaged two groups of students in group concept mapping processes to examine how they conceptualized beliefs about grade‐based acceleration in inclusive schools. First, 26 students in inclusive classes generated beliefs about grade‐based acceleration. Then they, and a group of 14 students with high ability, structured the data by sorting and rating a synthesized list of the generated beliefs. We analyzed the sorted data using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. The resultant cluster maps revealed some differences and some similarities in the ways that the two groups of students conceptualized beliefs about educational acceleration. Practical implications are discussed.     

Exploring mathematics identity: an intervention of early childhood preservice teachers

ABSTRACT

Early childhood and elementary preservice teachers often fear mathematics, find it irrelevant, have mathematics anxiety, hold negative self-perceptions, and have low mathematics achievement. This study investigates the influence of an identity exploration intervention on preservice teachers’ mathematics identities during a college Algebra course specifically designed for education majors. Results provide insight into the patterns of change in identity and motivation. Data was analyzed following a theoretical framework on role identity that highlights the interaction between self-perceptions, beliefs, goals, and action possibilities. Analysis identified patterns of change in student identities. Themes across cases highlight the differences in change amongst participants, the influence of initial identity, and the impact of perceived relevance on identity exploration.     

Critical perspectives on cultural diversity in early childhood: building an inclusive curriculum and provision

This paper presents a discussion of the complexities that arise from addressing issues of cultural diversity in the early years context. It explores the challenges of developing an effective early years provision and pedagogy that values cultural difference within the framework of a mandated curriculum, The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in England. The discussion presents a critical debate based on the argument that the task of constructing an inclusive early years curriculum remains contentious. This is especially the case as children’s cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds challenge the assumptions of normality and universality that are typically produced within policy rhetoric and curricular guidelines for group provision. The discussion draws on the poststructuralist theoretical framework of Foucault and Derrida to critique notions of diversity and difference. It then provides an analysis of the EYFS as an example of the challenges that arise from attempts to address cultural diversity through the curriculum.     

Heidelberg interaction training for language promotion in early childhood settings (HIT)

Beside parents, teachers in early childhood education and care have the greatest potential to foster language acquisition in children. This is especially important for children with language delays, language disorders or bi-/multilingual children. However, they present teachers with a particular challenge in language support. Therefore, integrated language facilitation programmes are needed to promote language acquisition in the daily routine of daycare facilities and kindergartens. In this article, the Heidelberg Interaction Training for Language Promotion in Early Childhood Settings (HIT) is presented as a systematic approach to improve daily interactions between preschool teachers and children. This group training comprises six half-day sessions over a period of six months. The objective is to expand teachers’ knowledge about language development in general and more specifically regarding children with language problems or bi-/multilingual children. Furthermore, teachers learn a responsive interaction style and various strategies of language modelling by means of video supervision and feedback. Teachers’ satisfaction with the training has been evaluated and its efficacy in terms of changes in their behaviour and children's language performance has been proven in several intervention studies and meta-analytic reviews. Lastly, implementation considerations for lasting effects following the HIT are discussed.     

Attitudes of secondary school teachers towards inclusive education in New Delhi,India

This study was undertaken to determine the attitudes of secondary regular schoolteachers towards the inclusion of students with disabilities in New Delhi. A total of 470 teachers, working in schools managed by a private organisation in Delhi, returned the completed survey. A two‐part questionnaire was used in this study. Part one gathered information relating to personal and professional characteristics of the teachers. Part two was a 16‐item Likert scale titled, Attitudes towards Inclusive Education Scale. The major finding of the study was that the teachers in Delhi had positive attitudes towards the inclusion of students with special needs. This study also indicated that the teachers who were more positive about inclusive education were male, younger teachers (less than 40 years of age), less experienced (less than 10 years) and had postgraduate qualifications. In addition, the teachers who had a contact with a person with a disability and those who did not have a focus on disability during their preservice teacher education programmes were more positive towards inclusive education.     

Secondary science and mathematics teachers and gender equity: Attitudes and attempted interventions

Although the literature documents the potential impact of teachers on the achievement of young women in science and math, few studies investigate teacher attitudes and the use of teacher interventions. A survey containing both fixed-response and open-ended questions was administered to 56 teachers from eight high schools. Open-ended questions were content analyzed, and log-linear modeling and chi-square tests of independence were used to analyze relationships between categorical variables representing demographic characteristics, teacher attitudes, and teacher use of interventions. Results provide evidence that teachers, regardless of demographic characteristics, are concerned about gender inequity in their classrooms, although they are generally not familiar with the wide range of possible causes (including their own actions). Reported interventions are consistent with those recommended in the literature, although teachers are not familiar with the effectiveness of their interventions, and numerous teachers feel that attempting interventions is a form of reverse discrimination. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Developing an audiovisual notebook as a self‐learning tool in histology: Perceptions of teachers and students

Videos can be used as didactic tools for self‐learning under several circumstances, including those cases in which students are responsible for the development of this resource as an audiovisual notebook. We compared students' and teachers' perceptions regarding the main features that an audiovisual notebook should include. Four questionnaires with items about information, images, text and music, and filmmaking were used to investigate students' (n = 115) and teachers' perceptions (n = 28) regarding the development of a video focused on a histological technique. The results show that both students and teachers significantly prioritize informative components, images and filmmaking more than text and music. The scores were significantly higher for teachers than for students for all four components analyzed. The highest scores were given to items related to practical and medically oriented elements, and the lowest values were given to theoretical and complementary elements. For most items, there were no differences between genders. A strong positive correlation was found between the scores given to each item by teachers and students. These results show that both students' and teachers' perceptions tend to coincide for most items, and suggest that audiovisual notebooks developed by students would emphasize the same items as those perceived by teachers to be the most relevant. Further, these findings suggest that the use of video as an audiovisual learning notebook would not only preserve the curricular objectives but would also offer the advantages of self‐learning processes. Anat Sci Educ 7: 209–218. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.     

Teachers' self‐efficacy in bullying interventions and their probability of intervention

Teacher intervention is an important factor in stopping bullying. Several studies indicate that teachers who believe they are capable of stopping bullying intervene more often in bullying. But this finding has only been based on hypothetical situations. It remains unclear if these results can be replicated in bullying interventions that the teachers actually performed. In addition, some studies claim that self‐efficacy is only connected to teacher intervention in direct forms of bullying, rather than indirect forms. In the current study, teachers' self‐efficacy in bullying interventions and the probability that they will intervene is investigated using self‐reported real‐life bullying situations in a sample of German teachers. Results show that teachers who feel more confident in dealing with bullying report intervening more often in bullying episodes they observed. Teacher training should include discussions of real‐life experiences to promote teachers' self‐efficacy beliefs and increase the probability of teacher intervention.     

Male teachers in early childhood education: issues and case study

Much of the debate about the desirability or otherwise, of attempting to address the gender imbalance in the early childhood teaching profession has been limited by a reliance on rhetoric rather than empirical evidence. The purpose of this article is to assist in shifting this debate to a more empirical basis by reporting findings from an exploratory empirical investigation of children's perceptions and gender positioning of their male preschool teacher. Children's drawings of their teacher and accompanying text generated in conversational interviews were analyzed inductively with the intent of gaining preliminary insights into whether the presence of a male teacher might challenge their gender stereotypes. Children focused mostly on typical teacher roles. Portrayals in which gender was salient reflected traditional gender roles and attributes. While it is difficult to draw definite conclusions from the study, for these children the presence of a male teacher did not appear to disrupt gender stereotypes. The article concludes with suggestions for future research.     

Influence of perceptions: Listening to early childhood preservice teachers

Abstract

This qualitative study examined how the perceptions of preservice teachers influenced their developing teaching role, and how the perceptions of preservice teachers can be influenced by teacher preparation programs. The influences of perceptions are mostly unrecognized, but are significant to the teacher preparation process. Without identifying their perceptions about the teaching role, and explicitly enhancing or changing perceptions, preservice teachers may return unknowingly to their implicit perceptions when they begin teaching. Thus, their practices may or may not reflect what they have been taught about appropriate practices for young children. Suggestions are made to facilitate the learning of prospective teachers about the influence of their perceptions, and how they can begin the process of changing/enhancing their perceptions regarding the role of the practitioner. © 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.