Inclusive practices : the effects of including students with an educational statement, upon student teachers

Abstract

Inclusion has been quite a controversial issue debated for the last decades. Inservice and pre-service teachers are protagonists in the implementation stage of inclusion and therefore it is essential that one explores the factors that affect their attitudes, which are a crucial determinant on the failure or success of inclusion. Student teachers go through several experiences throughout the dynamic period of their practicum. Such experiences contribute strongly to the formation of their perceptions with regards to inclusion. This study focuses on the effects that students having an educational statement for in class support have upon student teachers' attitudes throughout their practicum. It explores the different demands and challenges that teacher trainees encounter within an inclusive classroom, the strategies that they adopt in order to tackle them and also possible developments that ought to be considered especially in their training course at the University. A group of students reading a degree in Primary Education contributed to this study by taking part in individual and group interviewing sessions. From the data gathered, consisting of opinions, narratives and personal experiences of the participants, it was evident that although prospective teachers are aware of the different challenges that inclusive practices present, they still hold positive attitudes towards the inclusion of all students.