Teachers and Teaching in Inclusive Education

Dear Colleagues,

The aim and scope of this Special Issue is to provide its readership with current research evidence on the implementation of inclusive education in different countries, including those from the Global South, whose practices are less highlighted in the academic literature.

Current research shows that policy, resources, and practice differences have begun to emerge from Asian, African, and Latin American countries, alongside Australia, the USA, and European countries. However, teachers’ experiences of inclusive classrooms and their unique responses, particularly how instructional practices enable better outcomes, are yet to be fully captured. This Special Issue will aim to illuminate the diverse practices in these contexts and how they lead to accountability of processes and outcomes for students in inclusive classrooms.

We aim to include papers derived from primary data, literature reviews, and conceptual ideas on the initiation and implementation of inclusive education in schools and classrooms.

Overarching Theme: policy formulation, teaching practices, and accountability in inclusive education

Sub-themes:

• Inclusive policy formulation and the resourcing of inclusive schools;
• Accountability in inclusive policies and practice;
• School-level practices that lead to policy and standards-driven accountability;
• Teacher preparation for diverse needs and accountable practice;
• Teachers’ experiences with adapting instruction;
• Teaching practices and the adequacy of adaptive instructional practices that lead to accountability in student learning outcomes;
• The challenges with achieving optimal educational outcomes for all students;
• Support services for students and teachers.

Dr. Ahmed Bawa Kuyini
Dr. Maxwel Peprah Opoku
Dr. Ajay Kumar Das
Dr. William Nketsia
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• inclusive education in diverse contexts
• policy formulation
• accountability in inclusive education
• teachers’ experiences
• instructional practices and accountability
• adapting instruction for inclusion
• support services

Title: Elementary teachers experiences of implementing culturally responsive and inclusive education in New York state

Abstract: There has recently been much debate in the US over approaches towards inclusive education. Some states have banned all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in schools, while other states have adopted culturally responsive sustaining education (CRSE) to promote positive student outcomes. This study draws on survey and interview data to better understand how urban and rural elementary school teachers across New York state understand and implement CRSE. Results show teachers’ inclination towards interpreting CRSE as affirming students’ identities over teaching social justice issues, alongside facing a tension in enacting culturally responsive curricula that is not aligned to high-stakes state exams.

Title: The role of a Behaviour Analyst (BA) in supporting children presenting with behavioural difficulties in special school settings: A case Study

Abstract: There is much research on the challenges of effectively including children who present with behavioural difficulties in mainstream and special school settings, both nationally (Colum, 2020; Colum and McIntyre, 2021; O’Reilly and Colum, 2021; Shevlin and Banks, 2021) and internationally (Buttner et al., 2016; McKeon, 2013; 2020). The literature suggests that there can be a tendency to focus on the disability, on the ‘challenge’ of children with behaviour difficulties as opposed to the behaviours that are exhibited (Garwood & Loan, 2019) and in doing so, children are often viewed as a ‘problem’ to be removed from the classroom (Orasti & Causton-Theoharis, 2013). In addressing these challenges in Ireland, the National Council of Special Education (NCSE) (2018 and 2020) sought to provide more in-school supports with an emphasis on therapeutic (physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy) approaches. Internationally, for example in the United States, there is encouragement of a clearer conceptualization and more effective utilization of behaviour analytic practices in inclusion-oriented schools (Giangreco and Pennington, 2023). The role of a behaviour analyst / specialist is mainly the delivery and support of applied behaviour analysis (ABA) approaches, and such approaches intersect closely with multi-disciplinary services and whole school positive behavioural supports and interventions (Shepley & Grisham-Brown, 2019; Simonsen & Sugai, 2019). There are some BAs in situ in designated special settings in Ireland but little or no research on their day-to-day role and what benefits (if any) or challenges (if any) are associated with BA provision. The current article presents findings from a case study in one special school setting in the ROI on the role of the BA. The findings indicate that the BA is seen as a support to children and staff and having their presence is one that empowers the school. This artcile begins to address a gap in the literature around the role of the BA in schools in Ireland. Ethical considerations were approved by the institute associated with the research.

Title: The Challenges of Inclusive Education in Ghana: A Systematic Review

Abstract: This article surveys peer-reviewed publications on perceptions and knowledge of inclusive education (IE) in Ghana. A total of 65 articles on IE in Ghana, published between 2007 and 2022, were chosen though a systematic search of online databases. We organize the contents of the articles into two main sections: major focus areas (attitudes, knowledge, and practicalities) and policy recommendations. The review found a broad consensus that the necessary groundwork on IE has been established through legislation and policy, but implementation has been slow. The studies offer wide-ranging and rigorous examinations of the state of IE in Ghana, but there are gaps. In particular, the literature pays insufficient attention to non-teacher stakeholders such as students and parents, although that is becoming a more prominent feature of the most recent studies. There is also a lack of diachronic analyses, despite that fact that the process of implementing IE has been ongoing for years. The articles explored IE from a variety of angles, providing valuable insights and highlighting the complexity of IE as a focus of research. The review provides a number of policy recommendations for improving IE in Ghana, especially relating to training and resources to educators, and raising awareness among Ghanaians about the importance of inclusive education as a national priority.