Online ISSN: 2325-7466
2006
Triannual
National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)
United States

Articles

The Influence of Introductory Coursework on Preservice Teachers’ Sense of Self-efficacy Towards Teaching in an Inclusive Classroom

Moriah Smothers, Ed.D., Tori Colson, Ed.D., Nina Yssel, Ph.D., Linda Taylor, Ed.D.
  • Moriah Smothers, Ed.D. (Author) University of Southern Indiana image/svg+xml
    Moriah Smothers, Ed.D. is an assistant professor of special education at the University of Southern Indiana and a former elementary special education teacher. Her research interests include self-efficacy, inclusive education, preservice teacher self-efficacy, pedagogical practices in teacher education, and teacher preparation for preservice teachers with disabilities.
  • Tori Colson, Ed.D. (Author) University of Southern Indiana
    Tori L. Colson, Ed.D. is an assistant professor in Teacher Education at the University of Southern Indiana. She received her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Union University and served as a high school special education teacher for ten years. Her research interests include self-efficacy, in-service and pre-service teacher education, special education, and university assessment. She regularly collaborates, presents, and publishes on these topics.
  • Nina Yssel, Ph.D. (Author) Ball State University image/svg+xml
    Nina Yssel, Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Special Education at Ball State University. Her research and professional interests include preservice teacher self-efficacy, twice-exceptional students, and teacher education at the preservice and inservice level.
  • Linda Taylor, Ed.D. (Author) Ball State University
    Linda Taylor, Ed.D. is an assistant professor of early childhood education at Ball State University. Her research interests include teacher education and community-based field experiences for preservice teachers. She has presented and published on these topics.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.435
Abstract
Since the majority of students receiving special education services spend most of their school day in the general education classroom (Kena et al., 2015), it is imperative that teacher preparation programs equip preservice teachers for that context. This quantitative study explored the influence a single introductory special education course had on the efficacy beliefs of preservice teachers towards teaching in an inclusive classroom. The study included 100 participants that were undergraduate students enrolled in an introduction to special education course. Students were given the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices survey (Sharma, Loreman, & Forlin, 2012) before and after the course to determine if the course influenced their self-efficacy beliefs. Descriptive statistics and paired samples t-tests were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that the course had a significant, positive influence on preservice teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs toward teaching in an inclusive classroom. Discussion and implications of the findings as well as future research are examined.
Keywords
Inclusion, Instructional Effectiveness, Introductory Courses, Positive Attitudes, Preservice Teacher Education, Preservice Teachers
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How to Cite
Smothers, M., Colson, T., Yssel, N., & Taylor, L. (2020). The Influence of Introductory Coursework on Preservice Teachers’ Sense of Self-efficacy Towards Teaching in an Inclusive Classroom. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 15(3), 43-56. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.435

Fall 2020

Article Information

  • Article Type Articles
  • Submitted August 16, 2020
  • Published October 15, 2020
  • Issue Fall 2020
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