Inclusion Is Great in Theory”

A Mixed-Methods Investigation of Shifts in Preservice Teachers’ Attitudes and Self-Efficacy

Datos Bibliográficos

ID11366263
AutoresD Massey (0000-0002-9163-1312, Johns Hopkins University, autor de correspondencia), Rebecca A Cruz, Allison R Firestone (0000-0003-0290-1788, University of California, Berkeley), Matthew Love (0000-0002-3087-5110, San Jose State University), Elisa Stone (0000-0002-3710-8424, Johns Hopkins University)
Año2025
Volumen131
Número4
Páginas537-563
Fecha de publicación2025-08-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAmerican Journal of Education (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0195-6744 • E-ISSN: 1549-6511
EditorialUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1086/736325
OpenAlexW4411638885
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas65

Purpose: Building preservice teachers’ capacity to ground their practice in inclusive frameworks represents a potential driver for rectifying inequitable access to high-quality learning, particularly for students receiving special education services. To do so, teacher educators must possess a deep understanding of how preparatory experiences shape future teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and self-efficacy to enact equity-centered, inclusive practices. In this study, we explore preservice special educators’ dynamic and context-driven attitudes about inclusion and their self-efficacy to enact inclusive pedagogy as they progressed through a Curriculum and Instruction course. Research Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods bounded case study with preservice teachers working toward their teaching licenses. We analyzed survey data, open-ended responses, written reflections, and teaching artifacts collected throughout the semester-long course. We used a mixed-methods findings integration technique to generate meta-inferences. Findings: Results indicated that preservice teachers’ views about equity-centered inclusion evolved throughout the course, and that perceived institutional barriers influenced the malleability of their beliefs. Our convergent analysis foregrounded a tension between beliefs and practices as participants grappled with enacting course content amid the realities of K–12 classrooms. Implications: By tracing the complex processes whereby preservice teachers developed their perceptions of inclusive pedagogy, we identified focal areas for future policy and discourse. Through our discussion, we offer a nuanced lens for considering the complexities of teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion. We conclude with implications for preparing educators to identify and address inequities within and beyond special education

Inclusion (mineral · Mathematics education · Multimethodology · Pedagogy · Self-efficacy · Sociology · Collaborative Teaching and Inclusion · Parental Involvement in Education · Psychology · Social Psychology · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies