Abstract.A growing number of children with intellectual disabilities attend inclusive schools in Indonesia. Previous research has suggested that teachers' type of school and experience influences their beliefs about inclusive education. This research collected questionnaire data from 267 Indonesian teachers and compared the responses from those working in inclusive, special and regular schools regarding their epistemological and pedagogical beliefs. The results showed that teachers in inclusive schools expressed stronger social constructivist beliefs than those in other schools. However, it was teachers' epistemological beliefs, rather than their type of school or experience, which were the significant predictor of their beliefs about inclusive education. The findings suggest that international epistemological research needs to have a more nuanced view of constructivist models of learning to better understand and inform how inclusive pedagogy is being enacted in different contexts.Introduction.
Abstract.The Indonesian education system is striving for an inclusive approach and techniques are needed which can support children with severe learning disabilities and their peers in this context. Manually signed language has proved useful both in supporting the development and empowerment of children with severe learning disabilities and supporting inclusive educational practices. The development of an Indonesian signed language approach for this purpose is therefore argued to be an appropriate goal.There is evidence that the use of signed language within classrooms is significantly influenced by teacher attitudes and beliefs. This paper examines the attitudes towards such an approach based on semi -structured interviews with 20 teachers in seven schools in East Java and questionnaire responses from 69 teachers and educational professionals more widely located across Indonesia. The results suggest that teachers hold broadly positive attitudes to the possibility of signing. There is a complex relationship between social stigmatisation, the nature of signing and a possible classroom pedagogy.These issues need to be considered if the development of an Indonesian signed language approach for inclusive classrooms is to proceed successfully.
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This research explores for the first time the pedagogical orientations of Indonesian teachers in the context of inclusive education. A mixed methods approach was used for an analysis of questionnaire data from 140 teachers and qualitative interviews from 20 teachers in four inclusive schools. The findings suggest that, in general, the implicit orientation of teachers is social constructivist. This orientation is also reflected in their reported classroom practices. Although less common, more directive pedagogical approaches, appear to have an impact upon the flexibility of roles within two teacher inclusive classrooms. Whilst the number of disabled pupils within each class was a significant issue for interviewees, no pupils were deemed unteachable in their classrooms. Furthermore what is described by the teachers as a 'special pedagogy' typically entailed additional teaching time and modified assessments, and consequently could be framed as 'good teaching for all'. The questionnaires also contained responses from student and special school teachers and support the view that teachers' beliefs about inclusive pedagogy are mediated by experience and occupation.
There is a large number of children with autism who need to be taught within the Indonesian education system. A significant influence on how their needs are perceived are the epistemological and cultural beliefs of teachers. This research is the first to examine these issues in the context of the Indonesian government's intention to develop an inclusive education system. An analysis of 136 questionnaire responses from teachers and educational therapists indicated that although only a minority was aware of, or had been trained in, established autism interventions, children with autism are being taught within Indonesian schools. This included being taught within regular schools. The data suggest that having access to information about autism in the Bahasa Indonesia language plays a role in educators' beliefs about the stigmatization of teachers and parents of autistic children. Teachers' epistemological beliefs were found to be linked to their beliefs in inclusive education. This research suggests that is essential for educational research to acknowledge the influence of the cultural milieu within which inclusive education is being developed. The implications of this research for how the development of inclusive education can be supported within Indonesia are discussed.
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