How common are inclusive educational practices among Finnish teachers?

Abstract

Several instructional strategies have been recommended for use in heterogeneous classrooms, but the frequency of their actual use has remained largely unknown. Therefore, an electronic survey was sent to Finnish comprehensive school teachers (N =2,276) in order to assess the prevalence of three selected inclusive strategies: co-teaching, group work and differentiation. The results showed that co-teaching was used by 42% and group work by 43% of the teachers at least on a weekly basis, while differentiation was used regularly by 83% of teachers. The application of all strategies was strongly associated with teacher category, with subject teachers using them less frequently than classroom teachers or special education teachers. There was a linear trend indicating that these teaching strategies were more prevalent in bigger municipalities and among younger teacher groups. Their use was also more prevalent among female than male teachers. Additionally, among classroom teachers, their usage was associated with a more positive attitude towards inclusive education. Among classroom and subject teachers, their use was also associated with a higher sense of teacher efficacy. It is suggested that subject teachers in particular need to use more versatile teaching strategies to strengthen their ability to cope with student diversity.

Principals’ views on changes in the provision of support for learning and schooling in Finland after educational reform

“…According to a study by Ekstam et al (2016), in which they investigated support practices in Swedish-speaking schools in Finland, flexible grouping and differentiation are a more common form of support than co-teaching. Similarly, other studies (e.g., Saloviita, 2018;Saloviita & Takala, 2010;Takala & Uusitalo-Malmivaara, 2012) have demonstrated that coteaching is rare, especially among classroom teachers and subject teachers in Finnish-speaking schools as well. This may be partly due to a lack of time for planning the lessons together (Takala et al, 2009).…”

Kaasava hariduse tähendus ja tõhusa rakendamise tegurid Eesti kontekstis: õpetajaid koolitavate või nõustavate spetsialistide vaade

“…Järgnevalt vaadeldaksegi, millised on levinumad kaasamist toetavad õpetamise meetodid ja kontekstuaalsed tegurid. (Bešic et al, 2017;Saloviita, 2018). Õpet diferentseeritakse eri viisidel.…”

“…Kõiki õppijaid kaasavaks meetodiks peetakse eakaaslaste toetatud (peer-assisted) koosõppimist (European Agency …, 2003), kus õpilased toetavad üksteist õpiülesannete täitmisel. Koosõppimise üheks positiivseks mõjuks hinnatakse õpilaste vaheliste suhete paranemist ja erivajadustega õpilaste kõrvalejäämise riski vähendamist (Saloviita, 2018).…”

“…Kuigi tõsteti esile õpetajate teadmisi kaasavast haridusest ja selle praegusaja suundu mustest, peeti esmatähtsaks siiski õpetajate eripedagoogilist kompetentsust, mis on suunatud eeskätt erivajadustega õpilaste individuaalsele toetamisele. Enam nimetati õppe diferentseerimise, õppematerjalide kohandamise, individuaalse õppekava koostamise oskusi, mis on ka Saloviita (2018) ning Bešiki jt (2016) uurimuste põhjal levinumad kaasava hariduse toetamise meetodid.…”

Investigating special education teachers knowledge and skills: Preparing general teacher preparation for professional development

“…With the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), the 'least restrictive environment' (LRE) of the general education classroom has been positioned as the optimal learning space (O'Connor, Yasik, & Horner, 2016). This change means that the educational philosophy has moved towards inclusion, where teachers at all levels and content areas are required to interact and work with students with special needs on a regular basis (Saloviita, 2018;Turnbull, Turnbull, & Weymeyer , 2010;US Department of Education, 2012). This push for including students with disabilities in the general education classroom has been seen internationally as well, not only in the area of education, but also by organizations like the United Nations, the World Bank and Council of the European Union (Doulkeridou, et al, 2011;Miskovic & Curcic, 2016;Ozel, Zhagan, Nor, Daud, & Ali, 2017;Saloviita, 2018).…”