"I Believe in Inclusion, But ...": Regular Education Early Childhood Teachers' Perceptions of Successful Inclusion.

"I Believe in Inclusion, But ...": Regular Education Early Childhood Teachers' Perceptions of Successful Inclusion

-- Smith & Smith

The early childhood regular education teacher's positive and negative perceptions, thoughts, and understandings are integral to creating children's initial school experiences. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe how regular education early childhood teachers perceive the factors that influence their success in inclusive classrooms. Six teachers (three self-described as successful and three self-described as unsuccessful with inclusion) were randomly selected to participate in a series of four semi-structured tape-recorded interviews about their current experiences with inclusion. Initial interview questions were based on information from professional literature that outlined strategies, teaching and management styles, and attitudes that have been identified as affecting inclusion in the regular education classroom. In addition to the taped transcriptions, data sources included field memos, participant checking sheets, and an ongoing researcher's journal. Findings indicate a strong shared belief in the fundamental value of inclusion. The authors cited the need for: better and more focused training (for both regular and special education personnel), better consideration of classroom load factors (including class size, ratios, type, and severity of special needs), more reliable support (in-class, collaborative, and administrative), and help to find more time to meet the increased planning and collaborative demands of inclusive classrooms. These themes were examined in relation to the participants' perceptions of their classroom success within inclusion.