Beliefs about Inclusive Practices among Students of Teacher Education and in-Service Teachers

Sa？etak Beliefs refer to a set of conceptual images that include general knowledge about phenomena, people and events related to the professional context. The focus of this paper was on establishing differences in the beliefs of first-, third- and fifth-year students in teacher education and employed teachers regarding educational inclusion and teaching pupils with developmental disabilities. Its purpose was to provide answers to the question of whether and to what extent the beliefs of different groups of respondents vary with regard to pupils with developmental disabilities and their inclusion in the educational process. The participants in the research were 585 student teachers and teachers employed in primary schools in the Republic of Croatia. Beliefs were explored by means of the metaphor technique, using a familiar object or event as a mental vehicle for interpreting complex notions or situations. The participants in the research were asked to complete the sentences ‘Inclusion of pupils with developmental disabilities is like …, because …’ and ‘Teaching pupils with developmental disabilities is like …, because …’. It could be established that in the total sample most participants expressed inclusive beliefs, since their responses were directed at shaping and supporting pupils with developmental disabilities. However, when it came to the teaching process, the share of participants expressing inclusive beliefs decreased. Inclusive beliefs characterised third-year students, who were at the time of the investigation completing a course in inclusive education, to the greatest extent and in-service teachers to the smallest extent. The remaining groups of students shared almost identical professional beliefs, which points to an insufficient contribution of both initial teacher education and teaching experience to the transformation from pre-professional towards professional beliefs about inclusive education