Pre-Service Teachers' Confidence in Teaching Students With Visual Impairments in Inclusive Education

Abstract

The implementation of inclusive education for students with visual impairments still represents a challenge. The results of different studies have shown that regular teachers generally have misconceptions about visual impairments. Similar results can be found for pre-service teachers. In this study, the focus is on the challenges, questions, and dilemmas of pre-service teachers in relation to the inclusion of students with visual impairments. Pre-service teachers (N = 152) in undergraduate teacher education study programmes (preschool education and primary teacher education) and graduate (i.e. MA-level) teacher education study programmes (primary teacher education, art education, subject teacher education) participated in the study. The pre-service teachers rated their confi dence in their own knowledge and skills in terms of ten specifi c tasks related to teaching students with visual impairments. The pre-service teachers evaluated their professional knowledge and skills in the observed areas as insuffi cient to effectively teach students with visual impairments in mainstream schools. The relationship between confi dence level and independent variables (personal experience, fi rst thought, study programme) was analysed. The results showed that there were no signifi cant differences regarding personal experience and study programme; however, there was a signifi cant difference regarding their positive, neutral, and negative fi rst thought. A principal component analysis was conducted to detect interrelationships among items on a scale of self-confi dence, and it indicated two components: the fi rst one is related to 'designing and delivering instruction' and the second one is related to 'adapting and modifying the learning environment'. Implications for teacher training and the development of a future course are discussed.