Demographic differences in changing pre‐service teachers’ attitudes,sentiments and concerns about inclusive education

The preparation of teachers for regular schools has clearly needed to undergo quite significant change in recent years. One major adjustment has been the necessity to prepare teachers for progressively more diverse student populations as they will increasingly be required to teach in inclusive classrooms. Many teacher education institutions are, therefore, offering units of work that aim to tackle this. Utilizing an international data set of 603 pre‐service teachers, consideration is given to the effect of a range of demographic differences on changing pre‐service teacher attitudes toward inclusion; sentiments towards people with a disability and in reducing their concerns about inclusion when involved in a focused unit of work. Pre‐ and post‐training comparisons are made which identify a range of variables that impact on changing pre‐service teacher perceptions about inclusion. The discussion focuses on the importance of differentiating teacher preparation courses to address these different needs of pre‐service teachers.     

The Nature of Science as Represented in Chemistry Textbooks Used in Nigeria

Research in Science Education - The development of science education in many countries is varied and diverse. However, one common goal of science education in the different contexts is the focus on...     

Science Students Creating Hybrid Spaces when Engaging in an Expo Investigation Project

In this paper, we report on the experiences of three 9th-grade South African students (13–14 years) in doing open science investigation projects for a science expo. A particular focus of this study was the manner in which these students merge the world of school science with their social world to create a hybrid space by appropriating knowledge and resources of the school and home. Within this hybrid space they experienced a deeper, more meaningful and authentic engagement in science practical work. This hybrid space redefined the landscape of the science learning experience for these students, as they could derive the twofold benefit of appropriating support when necessary and at the same time maintain their autonomy over the investigation. For South Africa and quite probably other countries; these findings serve as a guideline as to how opportunities can be created for students to do open science investigations, against prevailing school factors such as large classes, a lack of physical resources, the lack of time for practical work and the demands of syllabus coverage.     

South African Grade 12 Science Students’ Understandings of Scientific Inquiry

Science & Education - The ability to do inquiry does not necessarily translate to understandings about scientific inquiry or the processes by which scientific knowledge is generated. The study...     

澳大利亚的融合教育支持体系——维多利亚州的模式

本文以维多利亚州为例,概括、分析了澳大利亚融合教育的法律、政策框架和发展趋势,分析了维多利亚州以“教和学”为核心的服务体系、“一体化”的融合教育服务模式和跨学科的专业服务模式,讨论了融合教育发展与普通教育体系变革之间的深刻联系.     

Shifting South African learners towards greater autonomy in scientific investigations

This report describes how teachers support ninth-grade students who are doing scientific investigations in Natural Sciences in South African schools. This is of interest as allowing students to participate in inquiry-based investigations is a significant shift from traditional practices. It presents a new challenge to teachers as it signals an opportunity to shift from a teacher-centred to a student-centred approach in practical inquiry. The research study adopted a mixed methodology research design that involved the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data were collected by means of questionnaires that were administered to 55 teachers. Qualitative data were collected by means of five classroom observations of student investigations and in-depth teacher interviews. The analysis of all the data revealed that teachers believe in providing support and not allowing learners to discover for themselves when participating in investigations. Teachers use a number of support strategies depending on the stage of the investigation. Based on these findings, a learning progression of teacher support for increasing learner autonomy was formulated which teachers can use in guiding them in the use of appropriate support strategies as they shift students towards greater autonomy in doing investigations.     

THE ACHIEVEMENT GOALS ORIENTATION OF SOUTH AFRICAN FIRST YEAR UNIVERSITY PHYSICS STUDENTS

This study investigated the achievement goals orientation of first year physics students at a South African university. The mixed methods design involved a quantitative survey of 291 students using an achievement goals questionnaire and individual interviews of selected participants. Results showed that the students perceived they have a stronger mastery goals orientation than performance goals and performance avoidance goals orientations. Multiple regression analysis in testing the mastery goals model indicated that the participants’ perceptions of teacher and peer goal emphases made the largest unique contribution to their orientation. It is suggested that at the tertiary level such an orientation should be promoted through learning experiences such as inquiry-based learning, which has been associated with this orientation.

     

A system-wide professional learning approach about inclusion for teachers in Hong Kong

This study examines changes in attitudes, teaching efficacy, and concerns about inclusive education in a sample of 2361 teachers in Hong Kong who took a professional learning course about inclusive education. Participants completed a questionnaire seeking demographic information and their perceptions about these three aspects of inclusive education both before and after their course. Items were selected from the Sentiments, Attitudes, and Concerns about Inclusive Education Scale Revised and Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices scales that were of relevance to the objectives of this study. The results indicate that in all three areas of acceptance, teaching efficacy, and concerns about inclusive education, positive improvements were made as a result of training, although generally this improvement was strongest in areas that teachers felt were under their direct control. The small amount of change in areas that teachers felt were not under their control may indicate that whatever change initiatives are put in place, they need to be holistic and systemic.     

Pre‐service teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of students with high support needs in regular classrooms in Bangladesh

In the process of educational reforms for promoting equity and inclusion in education, pre‐service teacher preparedness has been identified as a vital factor that has an impact on the success of inclusive education. Bangladesh, like other parts of the world, has taken various initiatives to promote inclusive education in the country context. This study is an attempt to explore factors related to pre‐service teachers’ preparedness for inclusive education in Bangladesh. The current study is an extension of the work completed in previous studies and specifically examined participants’ attitudes and factors that influenced their attitudes. Following a mixed method design, this multi‐phase study measured 1,623 pre‐service teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education in phase 1. By applying a multiple regression procedure, several variables were identified that impacted on pre‐service teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion. The results indicated that Bangladeshi pre‐service teachers hold a less positive attitude towards the inclusion of children who have high support needs (that is, those who use Braille or sign language, or those who need to have an Individualised Academic Programme). In order to better understand the findings about apprehensive attitudes among pre‐service teachers, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with six institutional heads of pre‐service teacher education institutions. The interviews provided a new perspective on apprehensive attitudes among participants. Several curriculum reform suggestions are made that may have implications for policy‐makers and researchers in Bangladesh and beyond.