Effect of Inclusive Education Awareness Programme on Preservice Teachers

In India, the concept of inclusive education schools is gaining importance to provide equal opportunities for education for all. Aims of schools in India has is to include students with special needs in the regular classrooms. However, biggest challenge they face is lack of awareness among teachers about inclusive education. Educationists across India have felt the need to make teachers aware about inclusive education. This research paper discusses about the effect of inclusive education awareness programme, developed to create awareness among preservice teachers. Methodology used was quasi-experimental design-pretest and posttest non-equivalent group along with factorial design to study the interactive effect of moderator variables on treatment. Questionnaire on awareness about inclusive education was prepared, it comprises of 48 items, and its reliability index is 0.85 by Split-Half method and 0.88 by Cronbach's Alpha. Purposive sampling technique was used and sample consisted of 77 preservice teachers in the experimental group and 53 in the control group from two colleges offering D.T.Ed (Diploma in Teacher Education) Course. Treatment, inclusive education awareness programme was implemented using different interactive teaching methods for 52 hours across five weeks. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics t-test, ANOVA (Two-way), Wolf's test. Findings revealed that preservice teachers from experimental group have gained awareness about inclusive education to a moderate extent. No significant interactive effect of gender, socio-economic status, social intelligence, emotional intelligence and treatment was found. This confirms that treatment given to experimental group was effective.