1 research outputs found
Quality of Inclusive Preschool Classrooms: Predictive Variables
Preschool inclusion is an issue that has become more prominent and is
frequently targeted in the literature in recent years. Previous studies
regarding preschool inclusion were conducted with teachers, typically
developing children, and children with disabilities as well as about how
the inclusive practices could be more effective and which variables
would affect the quality of preschool inclusion. Recently, the concept
of ``quality{''} in inclusive preschool becomes one of the current
issues in the field. The quality of the inclusion is examined as the
process quality, structural quality, and global quality it is influenced
by several factors such as experience and education of teachers,
teacher/child ratio and knowledge of teachers related to implementation
of inclusive practices. The purpose of this study, which utilized
correlational screening model, was to reveal the variables which predict
the overall quality of inclusive preschool classrooms in Turkey. The
data were collected by Teacher Information Form, Student-Teacher
Relationship Scale, Opinions Relative to Integration of Students with
Disabilities, and Abilities Index in 47 preschool classrooms as well as
the third researcher assessed the quality of the classrooms by using
Inclusive Classroom Profile. To test the predictive value of all
variables, a stepwise regression model was used. Analyses showed that
the overall quality of the inclusive preschool classrooms was predicted
by the teachers' opinions regarding inclusion, having courses related to
preschool inclusion, and teachers' relationships with their students.
The results are discussed in the framework of the existent literature
and suggestions related to implications and future research are offered