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Inside Four Walls

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2016

Chris Forlin
Chris Forlin*
Affiliation:
University of Southern Queensland
*
Address for: Dr Chris Forlin, University of Southern Queensland, Faculty of Education, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350 Australia. Phone: 61 7 4631 2886 Fax: 61 7 4631 2828 E-mail: forlinc@usq.edu.au
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Abstract

This research study was designed to investigate the effects of inclusion on regular class teachers in Queensland schools. While education departments promote inclusion there is frequently insufficient notice taken of the impact of such programs within the classroom context where inclusion actually happens. For the majority of children, and for most of the time, inclusion occurs within the four walls of a regular classroom. This paper reports the findings of focus group interviews with primary school teachers involved with inclusion. The research was undertaken in 1997 with 17 teachers from 13 primary schools within one region in Queensland. All teachers involved in this study taught in regular classrooms that included a child with either an intellectual or physical disability. Discussion of the analysis of the interviews focuses on three main areas within the classroom context: (1) the children in the classes (2) the classroom learning environments; and (3) the teachers. This project is highly significant as policies of inclusion rely on teachers’ acceptance of them, belief in their worth, and ability to cope. It is essential to determine if the reality of the current situation is likely to support further trends towards greater inclusion.

Type
Research Article
Information
Australasian Journal of Special Education , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , 1998 , pp. 96 - 106
Copyright
Copyright © The Australian Association of Special Education 1998

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