Inclusive practices at the teacher and class level: the experts’ view

Edvina Bešić, Lisa Paleczek, Mathias Krammer, Barbara Gasteiger-Klicpera

Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed

Abstract

One concern for teachers and schools is how to implement inclusion. This paper examines its implementation at the teacher and class level in Styria, (a state in Austria). To do so, a qualitative study with expert interviews was conducted. Twenty-five experts from seven schools and four Centres for Inclusion and Special Education were interviewed. This paper highlights four areas: (1) teachers’ attitudes; (2) co-teaching; (3) individualised instruction; and (4) classroom composition. The results showed that for the inclusion process to be successful, positive attitudes towards inclusion of children with special educational needs are critical. Furthermore, negative attitudes towards inclusion can change if resources and support systems are available. Like every change process, high reliability is necessary to promote inclusion. The special education teacher was seen as an important resource, thus meaningful cooperation between the general and special education teacher was considered as a first step in implementing inclusive education. The use of differentiated teaching methods, along with individual initiatives, were other indispensable practices. According to the experts, these differentiated teaching instructions are implemented better in heterogeneous classrooms, meaning that a classroom composition that corresponds to the normal heterogeneity of the student population is seen as an essential part of teaching.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)329-345
Number of pages17
JournalEuropean Journal of Special Needs Education
Volume32
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 3 Jul 2017
Externally publishedYes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

  • 503034 Inclusive education

Keywords

  • classroom composition
  • co-teaching
  • Inclusive education
  • individualised instruction
  • teachers’ attitudes

Cite this