Supervisors info:
Παπαδοπούλου Καλλιρρόη, Επίκουρη Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Εκπαίδευσης και Αγωγής στην Προσχολική Ηλικία, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Summary:
In recent years, dialogue on inclusive education, as a new approach to the educational process, is becoming more and more intense. In formulating practices that favor inclusive education, teachers and their perceptions play an important role, which is derived from research data from previous studies. Teachers are often under-trained in terms of the theoretical and practical background of inclusive education, leading to negative perceptions of inclusive education. The curriculum of the faculties of students and future teachers plays a key role in their own training and competence, but is also a major factor in shaping their perceptions towards the institution of inclusive education. Consequently, exploring the perceptions of future teachers in conjunction with the incomplete Greek bibliography on this issue makes it important to further investigate the issue.
The present research is a qualitative research through which the perceptions of 14 students who are in the last semester of their studies in pedagogical departments on inclusive and special education were explored and analyzed. In particular, the methodological tool of this diploma thesis is semi-structured interview, while
data analysis is based on content analysis. According to the findings of this research effort, it appears that future teachers attending a primary education department have insufficient knowledge of inclusive education and also about the attendance of disabled
students in primary school, while their perceptions are related to the clinical model for disability. On the contrary, students attending a pre-school education department adopt a social aspect of disability and have positive perceptions towards inclusive education. At the same time, students highlight the provision of appropriate education as the basic prerequisite for achieving integration training. At the same time, there is a need to reform the curricula, as it is judged by the students that they need to be enriched.
Keywords:
future educators attitudes, integration, inclusive education, disability, medical / social model
