Views of Inclusive Education from the Perspectives of Pre-service and Mentor Teachers

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.