TY - JOUR
T1 - The impact of a teacher education course on pre-service teachers' beliefs about inclusion: an international comparison
AU - Sharma, Umesh
AU - Sokal, Laura
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - In this comparative study, the impact of two stand-alone
university courses on pre-service teachers
attitudes, concerns and teaching efficacy to teach in
inclusive classrooms is examined. Twenty-eight preservice
teachers (PSTs) from Australia and 60 PSTs
from Canada completed a survey at pre- and poststages
of the course. It was found that after completion
of the course, Australian participants attitudes
improved, their concerns declined, and they became
more confident in their ability to teach in inclusive
classrooms. Similarly, Canadian participants concerns
declined and their teaching efficacy improved,
but they became more apprehensive about teaching
in inclusive classrooms. Relationships among the
three variables (attitudes, concerns and teaching
efficacy) were examined at pre- and post-test stages
for both cohorts to understand how they interacted
within each of the two countries. Implications of the
findings for teacher education are discussed.
AB - In this comparative study, the impact of two stand-alone
university courses on pre-service teachers
attitudes, concerns and teaching efficacy to teach in
inclusive classrooms is examined. Twenty-eight preservice
teachers (PSTs) from Australia and 60 PSTs
from Canada completed a survey at pre- and poststages
of the course. It was found that after completion
of the course, Australian participants attitudes
improved, their concerns declined, and they became
more confident in their ability to teach in inclusive
classrooms. Similarly, Canadian participants concerns
declined and their teaching efficacy improved,
but they became more apprehensive about teaching
in inclusive classrooms. Relationships among the
three variables (attitudes, concerns and teaching
efficacy) were examined at pre- and post-test stages
for both cohorts to understand how they interacted
within each of the two countries. Implications of the
findings for teacher education are discussed.
UR - http://goo.gl/EfC3Rk
U2 - 10.1111/1471-3802.12043
DO - 10.1111/1471-3802.12043
M3 - Article
SN - 1471-3802
VL - 15
SP - 276
EP - 284
JO - Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs
JF - Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs
IS - 4
ER -