Pre-service Special Education Teachers’ Preparation for Inclusive Education in Bangladesh: An Action Research

Abstract

This action research investigates the effectiveness of a supervised microteaching (simulation) program of a university for developing pre-service special education teachers’ competencies. Explicitly this paper explores the challenges of the pre-service teachers to teach students with hearing impairment (HI) during their practicum. Five Pre-service teachers (including one with Deafness) enrolled in a teacher education program were taught and supervised during their simulation semester in accordance with the university prescribed program. Classroom teaching of the pre-service teachers was observed during simulation and practicum semesters based on Kilic’s (2010) observation checklist. Further, the same participants were interviewed at the end of their practicum. The results revealed from the study indicate a gap between the nature of the supervised simulation program at the university and the characteristics of practicum at the real teaching situations. Pre-service teachers’ performances, especially in the areas of ‘communication’ and ‘classroom management’ declined significantly in practicum compared to simulation. Lack of experiential learning opportunities in supervised simulation is identified as the prime reason which hindered pre-service teachers from improving their inclusive teaching skills. Implications are discussed regarding pre-service teachers’ preparedness for better inclusive practices in regular classrooms.

Keywords: Inclusive education, simulation, practicum, teacher, and hearing impairment.