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Views of Inclusive Education from the Perspectives of Pre-service and Mentor Teachers
Kurth, Jennifer A. Forber-Pratt, Anjali
Kurth, Jennifer A.
Forber-Pratt, Anjali
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Abstract
The trend of inclusive education in the U.S.A., and across the globe, is expanding.
Consequently, teacher preparation for inclusive practices is thus a necessary consideration for
teacher educators worldwide. An important role in shaping pre-service teacher dispositions
comes from school experiences and interactions with mentor teachers. It is through this
relationship that pre-service teachers formulate their own attitudes, beliefs and skills around
inclusive practices. This paper reports the findings from a set of surveys containing both closedand
open-ended responses related to inclusive education from both pre-service (student) and
mentor teachers. Analysis of the open-ended responses revealed definitions of inclusive
education focused on student deficits, and barriers to implementation of inclusive practices that
focused on deficits in the capacity of the environment. Four themes emerged when participants
defined inclusion. Both groups of educators further described their perceived barriers to
implementing inclusive education for students with disabilities, as well as the concerns they have
heard others express as organized by five themes. Implications for teacher preparation, including
challenging of deficit-based assumptions, are discussed.
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2017
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American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
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Kurth, J. A., & Forber-Pratt, A. (2017). Views of inclusive education from the
perspectives of preservice and mentor teachers. Inclusion, 5, 189-202. doi:10.1352/2326-6988-
5.3.189