“I Just See All Children as Children”: Teachers’ Perceptions About Inclusion

Authors

Jane M. Leatherman, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort WayneFollow

Abstract

This narrative study examined teachers’ perceptions of their inclusive classrooms. Eight early childhood teachers responded to open-ended interview questions about their experiences teaching children with and without disabilities in the same classroom environment. The social constructivist view of teaching and learning is highlighted as the teachers construct their knowledge of inclusion and how it meets the needs of children with disabilities in the inclusive environment. The following themes emerged from interview analysis: the inclusive classroom is a great place for children, the teacher needs additional education, the teacher needs support from administrators and to be included in decisions about the inclusive classroom, and positive experiences foster successful inclusive classrooms. Suggestions are offered for successful inclusive programs and future research.

Keywords

Teachers’ Perceptions of Inclusion, and Support

Publication Date

12-1-2007

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2007.1615

Recommended APA Citation

Leatherman, J. M. (2007). “I Just See All Children as Children”: Teachers’ Perceptions About Inclusion. The Qualitative Report, 12(4), 594-611. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2007.1615