THE CHALLENGE OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: EXPLORING THE NEEDS OF GREEK TEACHERS

Stefania Tana, Pandelis Kiprianos, Eugenia Arvanitis, Georgios Nikolaou

Abstract


Inclusive education has become a key priority in contemporary educational systems, highlighting the need to strengthen teachers’ professional development in this field. The purpose of the present research is the investigation of the training needs of Primary Education teachers in Greece in relation to inclusion. The research was based on a sample of 683 Primary Education teachers in the region of Attica. For the data collection, a questionnaire was used, based on the tool of Symeonidou and Phtiaka (2009), adapted to the needs of the present research. The analysis was performed with the use of descriptive statistical techniques. The findings of the research demonstrate that teachers declare an intense need for training in all examined areas because they do not feel adequately prepared to respond to the complex demands of modern educational reality. Particularly high values were recorded in the differentiation of instruction and the support of students with learning difficulties and special educational needs; issues concerning the legislative and theoretical framework of inclusion follow. The findings highlight the need for designing specific training programs with an emphasis on experiential approaches which respond substantially to the needs of the school classroom.

Keywords


inclusive education, teacher training needs, differentiated instruction, special educational needs, teacher professional development

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejse.v12i4.6712

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