INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES OF PRE-SERVICE AND IN-SERVICE TEACHERS
Abstract
Inclusive Education advocates for equitable access to mainstream activities for all learners while using intentional and suitable methods to guarantee high-quality education for everyone. The present school system is progressively moving towards inclusivity. A crucial aspect in the successful inclusion of children with special needs is the attitude of both pre-service and in-service teachers toward integrating these students into their classrooms. This study aims to explore the perspectives of teachers on the integration of children with disabilities and to compare the attitudes of pre-service and in-service teachers toward inclusion. Further, it also seeks to mention some of the significant challenges that come across in classroom transactions and interviews with teachers. For the present study, a sample of 70 consisting of 35 pre-service and 35 in-service teachers has been taken from Tezpur city of Assam. In the present study, a standardized instrument titled the “Teacher Attitude Scale towards Inclusive Education,” developed by Dr. Vishal Sood and Dr. (Mrs.) Arti Anand was utilized to assess teachers' attitudes towards including special needs children. The results indicated that most teachers have positive views regarding the integration of children with special needs, and there were no notable variations in their attitudes. However, there exist significant challenges to implementing inclusion during classroom transactions. Henceforth, investigators have tried to highlight a few suggestions for the successful implementation of inclusion.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v12i9.6173
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