Indicators of a quality inclusion classroom in early childhood education

Indicators of a Quality Inclusion Classroom in Early Childhood Education
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Adams, D., Harris, A., & Jones, M. S. (2018). Teacher-parent collaboration for an inclusive classroom: Success for every child. MOJES: Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 4(3), 58-72.
This article explores the essence of collaboration between teachers and parents to enhance inclusivity in classrooms. The investigators explore the recent empirical evidence on the impact of teacher-parent collaboration on inclusive education practices. The study focuses on Malaysian primary and secondary schools. The article demonstrates that the collaboration can be used to understand how to cater to special educational needs, communicating issues concerning special educational needs, and outlining the expectations of one another about implementing the specified educational needs. The research is critical in demonstrating how teachers and parents can work together towards enhancing the educational outcomes of their learners with special needs.
The study employs a mixed-methods approach, where it combines both quantitative and qualitative methods. The use of a mixed-methods approach is critical since the quantitative outcomes of the investigation will be explained by the qualitative data. The sample consists of 10 Malaysian schools, where a survey instrument is administered to 95 teachers and 104 parents. The sample in the study is not representative since it is relatively small. A relatively larger sample would have been more inclusive of the situation in Malaysian primary and secondary schools. Nonetheless, the evidence serves as a reference point for those interested in implementing inclusive classrooms for students with special needs.
Gross, J. (2015). Strong School-Community Partnerships in Inclusive Schools Are" Part of the Fabric of the School... We Count on Them". School Community Journal, 25(2), 9-34.
This article investigates the essence of community partnerships in ensuring inclusive schools. The researcher notes that school-community partnerships are needed to offer support to students beyond what is available in schools. The investigator notes that the community partners get an opportunity to learn about the inclusive culture in schools. To demonstrate the importance of community partnerships, the author conducted focus groups with community partners in five learning institutions. The results demonstrate that partnerships create mutual benefits for those involved. The community partners in the respective schools demonstrated the emphasis they place upon ensuring an inclusive culture. The article demonstrates that inclusive classrooms are avenues for offering learners an excellent education.
The study utilizes SWIFT’s appreciative inquiry to investigate inclusivity in schools. The method is effective in gaining a better understanding of the activities in the various schools. The inquiry focused on the perspectives of administrators, students, family, and community partners. This was critical in gathering comprehensive data needed to investigate inclusivity in classrooms. The participants were six inclusive elementary and middle schools. However, only data from five of the six SWIFT KDS was available. This limited the representativeness of the results. Despite this limitation, the study is critical in indicating that school-community partnerships can play a critical role in enforcing inclusivity in classrooms.
Ferreiraa, J. M., Mäkinenb, M., & de Souza, K. (2018). Reflecting on inclusion in early childhood education: Pedagogical practice, school space and peer interaction. Journal of Early Childhood Education Research, 7(1), 25-52.
This study focuses on the possible relations between teacher’s pedagogical practices together with the organization of space to promote peer interaction. To study inclusivity, the investigators have used data from Brazil and Finland. The analysis focuses on social practices, rather than individualized attainments, hence contextualizing the aspect of inclusivity. The results demonstrate a contradiction between theory and practice about the implementation of inclusivity measures. This is critical in bridging the gap that exists between theory and the actual practice. For inclusivity measures to work, they need to be practical enough to be implemented.
The researchers analyzed pedagogical practices for schools in both Brazil and Finland. This is critical in providing the comparison of inclusivity for two distinct contexts. It also assists in comparing inclusivity in two diverse cultural backgrounds, hence offering a better opportunity for recommendations. Additionally, the research was designed under a qualitative epistemology. This is critical in obtaining new meanings from phenomena. In Brazil, the participants were 17 four-year-old children, while in Finland the participants were 12 three-year-old children. While the sample consists of children with different characteristics, it is rather too small. The researchers should have used a relatively larger sample to ensure that the results are representative of a larger group. Despite the limitations, the study is critical in demonstrating contradictions between theory and practice in the ECE environment.
Buysse, V., & Hollingsworth, H. L. (2009). Program quality and early childhood inclusion: Recommendations for professional development. Topics in early childhood special education, 29(2), 119-128.
In this research, the authors demonstrate the need to fuse childhood program quality with professional development. The researchers appreciate that different states in the U.S. have various quality improvement systems in place. However, no consensus currently exists that defines high-quality inclusion. With childhood inclusivity very key in America, the researchers advocate the need to include aspects of quality inclusion on professional development. This will ensure that educators are equipped with the right skills to be effective in their profession. In other words, practitioners will be in a better position to serve all children, including those with disabilities.
The article utilized a systematic literature review. It analyzes relevant literature on the issue of inclusion in early childhood. The approach is critical in building a strong argument. Using the available evidence, the researchers have managed to come up with recommendations that can enhance the inclusion of students living with disabilities. The recommendations included are critical in enabling policymakers to develop programs for educators that enhance inclusivity. Indeed, the researchers demonstrate the need for states to ensure that learners with disabilities.
Sucuoğlu, B., Bakkaloğlu, H., Karasu, F. İ., Demir, Ş., & Akalın, S. (2013). Inclusive preschool teachers: Their attitudes and knowledge about inclusion. International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education, 5(2), 107-128.
Teachers play a critical role in enhancing inclusivity in classrooms. They are the ones that implement the stipulated measures. As a result, it is important to investigate their knowledge and attitudes towards inclusivity. In this article, the investigators seek to know the knowledge and attitudes of preschool teachers towards the integration of learners living with disabilities. The researchers acknowledge that the issue of inclusivity has been challenging, especially for teachers. As new inclusive practices emerge, teachers have been expected to understand and implement them. As a result, teachers need to move beyond their traditional roles and responsibilities and ensure the development of all the leaners in the classroom, including those with disabilities.
In this research, data were obtained from 30 preschool teachers. Each teacher has at least one child with disabilities in his/her classroom. Such a choice of teachers is critical in ensuring that the results reflect the correct view of the classroom settings. These teachers have interacted with students living with disabilities and hence can give a good account of inclusivity. The researchers used Opinions Relative to the Integration of Students with Disabilities (ORI) to get data from the participants. Further, The Inclusion Knowledge Test (IKT) served to assess the knowledge the participants had on inclusion practices. The utilization of the two instruments enabled the inves...