Inclusion, Classroom Management and Teacher Self-Efficacy in an Australian Context
Accepting, celebrating and accommodating students with diverse educational needs within an inclusive framework is at the heart of current Australian educational policy. In order to embrace diversity and inclusivity, teachers need to have the belief in the
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6. Inclusion, classroom management and teacher self-efficacy in an Australian context
ABSTRACT
Accepting, celebrating and accommodating students with diverse educational needs within an inclusive framework is at the heart of current Australian educational policy. In order to embrace diversity and inclusivity, teachers need to have the belief in their own capability to teach inclusively. This chapter will focus on general issues associated with inclusive education, with a particular focus on early career teachers and their (in)ability to effectively manage classrooms, including student behaviour. The importance of teacher self-efficacy will be highlighted alongside previously unpublished data on teacher self-efficacy in relation to classroom management. Implications for practice will conclude this chapter. INTRODUCTION
Inclusive education can be defined as providing an active and equitable education to all children, regardless of their gender, cultural or religious background or learning needs (Mitchell, 2014). Accepting, celebrating and accommodating students with diverse educational needs is at the heart of current Australian educational policy (Hardy & Woodcock, 2015). For example, the Northern Territory Department of Education and Training Philosophy of Inclusion for Students with a Disability (2009) states that teachers must adjust the curriculum, assessment practices, teaching styles and physical environment to provide for the needs of all students. However, implementing inclusive education practices is not easy, and may require significant shifts to teachers’ attitudes and beliefs; such changes then need to be followed by adjustments to the classroom environment to facilitate real improvements (Sharma, Loreman, & Forlin, 2012). In order to embrace diversity and inclusivity, schools must commit to the transformation of learning environments to make the implementation of inclusive practices smooth and effective (Savolainen, Engelbrecht, Nel, & Malinen, 2012). This chapter will focus on general issues associated with inclusive education, with a particular focus on early career teachers and their (in)ability to effectively manage classrooms, including student behaviour. The importance of teacher self-efficacy will be highlighted alongside previously unpublished data on
S. Garvis & D. Pendergast (Eds.), Asia-Pacific Perspectives on Teacher Self-Efficacy, 87–102. © 2016 Sense Publishers. All rights reserved.
S. WOODCOCK & A. REUPERT
teacher self-efficacy in relation to classroom management. Implications for practice will conclude this chapter. While there are many stakeholders involved in inclusive education, a key person is the classroom teacher. A teacher’s beliefs about inclusion and their confidence in meeting the needs of the students in his or her class is a critical component to fully realising the promise of inclusion. In educational research, teacher confidence is often referred to as teacher self-efficacy, defined as a teacher’s belief in his or her own capability to organise and execute specific t
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