Education for Diversity in Initial Teacher Preparation Programmes: a Comparative International Study

Despite the growing diversity in school polulation, many teacher educators fail incorporating diversity-related content into the courses they teach. As a result, numerous preservice teachers lack quality learning opportunities to become well versed on issues of diversity in meaningful ways. This article reports the results of an international study which explores preservice teacher perceptions of opportunity to learning to teach in diverse inclusive classrooms. A questionnaire was used to document the perceptions of a cohort of kindergarten and elementary student teachers from Spain and the US. Results indicated that strong international differences existed in the perceptions of respondents towards opportunity to learn theoretical aspects of teaching for diversity (e.g., know intervention strategies to meet student diverse educational needs), opportunity to learning to teach inclusively (e.g., learn how to develop an inclusive curriculum), and opportunity to observe and analyse practical aspects of diversity teaching (e.g., conduct diversity-related field-work), all these differences favouring US respondents. The results highlight the need for increased attention to teaching diversity in preservice teacher education programmes. Implications for ongoing development of initial teacher preparation are discussed within the context of improving educators and student teachers’ training for diversity.This study was supported by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sport (Secretary of State of Education, Professional Training and Universities) within the framework of the Programme “State Programme for the Promotion of Talent and its Employability” I+D+i 2013-2016 (Ref. PRX16/00530), and by the University of Alicante, Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Planning (Ref. 2015/00003670)

The Spanish version of the teacher efficacy for inclusive practice scale (TEIP-e): a tool to measure competence for teaching in inclusive settings

There is little doubt that the movement towards inclusion has made enormous impact on education systems and schools worldwide (UNESCO, 2007). While initially focusing on providing for students with disabilities in mainstream schools, inclusion now encompasses a much broader definition that refers to all students who may have been historically marginalized from meaningful education, who come from varied multicultural and multidiverse backgrounds or who are at risk of not achieving their full potential (Forlin, 2013). This educational trend has been encouraged internationally as a positive means of enhancing students’ overall development and functioning and basically means giving access and bringing support services, when necessary, to all. Inclusion requires generalist teachers to be able to cater to the needs of the most diverse student population academically, socially, and culturally, responsibility that has impacted the task of teachers more than anything

Community Adjustment of Young Adults with Mental Retardation: A Developmental Perspective

The community adjustment of young adults with mental retardation remains a crucial issue for all human service providers. No longer does adjustment imply simply the physical integration of persons with disabilities into community settings. Rather, it refers to the adjustment and integration of the whole person into community life. Whether one describes community adjustment as a process, an outcome, a philosophy, or a multidimensional concept (Bachrach, 1981), community adjustment has become synonymous with the term quality-of-life, a quality that depends in large part on one’s happiness and success in socially sanctioned, age-appropriate tasks

Community Adjustment of Young Adults with Mental Retardation: Overcoming Barriers to Inclusion

Movement of persons with mental retardation out of institutions and into community settings is occurring at an ever-increasing pace (Amado, Lakin, & Menke, 1990). State and federal laws have legitimized the basic rights of persons with mental retardation to live, work, and participate in typical community settings. Yet, physical integration is not synonymous with full community inclusion. Numerous barriers remain that serve as obstacles to successful assimilation into community life. For instance, successful social integration depends on attitudinal changes of persons without mental retardation—families, friends, service-delivery professionals, and the general public—toward persons with mental retardation. The way young adults with mental retardation are perceived by others often restricts their opportunities for participation in activities that allow for development of social relationships, enhancement of self-esteem, and enjoyment of life. Removal of such barriers requires that they first be identified. Action plans and strategies can then be developed to remove, or at the least minimize, effects upon the quality-of-life experienced by this segment of the population

Análisis de la coherencia de los planes de estudio de maestro con el estándar de la diversidad desde la perspectiva del alumnado

Este estudio compara la coherencia de los planes de estudio con la atención a la diversidad (AD) percibida por dos cohortes de estudiantes de magisterio de dos instituciones universitarias pertenecientes a contextos socio-culturales y educativos diferentes. Los participantes fueron estudiantes de los grados de maestro en educación infantil y primaria, mención de educación especial (n = 146 de origen español y n = 51 de origen estadounidense) quienes completaron la escala de opinión “Coherencia del Plan de Estudios con la Formación en Atención a la Diversidad” al comienzo del tercer año de su programa. Los resultados indicaron que tanto el contexto socio-cultural como la trayectoria y experiencia previa con la diversidad son elementos importantes para explicar las diferencias encontradas. Se observaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas por país de origen en todos los reactivos de la escala excepto en uno. Los respondientes españoles percibían una clara falta de coherencia de su programa de estudios con la diversidad, mientras que los estadounidenses estimaban que el suyo estaba bien articulado. Independientemente del plan de estudios seguido, ambos grupos indicaron de forma mayoritaria que la formación en diversidad debería abordarse en el contexto de cada una de las materias y cursos. Se analizan las implicaciones prácticas de los hallazgos para la preparación de maestros de los contextos y estudios representados por los participantes.Este trabajo fue financiado por el Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, Secretaría de Estado de Educación, Formación Profesional y Universidades, Programa Estatal de Promoción del Talento y su Empleabilidad I+D+i 2013-2016 (Ref. PRX16/00530) y por el Vicerrectorado de Ordenación Académica y Profesorado de la Universidad de Alicante (Ref. 2015/00003670)