Inclusive education in Serbia from the perspective of primary school teachers: Competencies, benefits, barriers and preconditions

Abstract

The introduction of inclusive education in the Republic of Serbia has contributed to the development of the principles of humaneness and democracy and the exercise of the right to quality education in regular schools. Given that providing knowledge about the implementation of inclusive education is essential for the advancement of inclusive practice, the aim of our study was to examine teachers' beliefs about the competencies for inclusive education and about the benefits, barriers and preconditions for the advancement of inclusive education in primary schools. The study was conducted with a sample of 216 primary school teachers - teachers of grades 1-4 and subject teachers (grades 5-8) - and an instrument was designed for this purpose. The general findings point to the existence of negative attitudes among teachers towards the introduction of inclusive education in primary schools. There are differences between the beliefs of teachers of grades 1-4 and subject teachers regarding the competencies for inclusive education (a personalized approach to teaching (t(214)=0,886, p<,01) and understanding and respecting differences (t(214)=-1,902, p<,01)). At the same time, teachers who have attended multiple inclusive education programs have greater awareness of the importance of a personalized approach to teaching for inclusive education (F(2)=4,754, p<.05). Insufficient competence and motivation on the part of teachers for working with children who need additional support, as well as difficulties in organizing instruction, are some of the barriers that make teacher's work more difficult in practice. As regards preconditions, the findings suggest that teaching assistants, a smaller number of students per class, and teachers' professional development are crucial for the advancement of inclusive practice. The findings suggest that inclusive education has not yet been sufficiently accepted or adequately implemented in practice. In accordance with these findings, we offer recommendations for improving the preservice education and implicit pedagogy of primary school teachers and for increasing their capacities for the advancement of inclusive practice.