INVESTIGATION OF THE TRAINING NEEDS, KNOWLEDGE, AND SKILLS OF PRESCHOOL TEACHERS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Authors

  • Maria Kyriazopoulou Department of Educational Science and Early Childhood Education, University of Patras, Greece
  • Thanassis Karalis Department of Educational Science and Early Childhood Education, University of Patras, Greece
  • Konstantinos Magos Department of Early Childhood Education, University of Thessaly, Greece
  • Eugenia Arvanitis Department of Educational Science and Early Childhood Education, University of Patras, Greece

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejse.v8i3.4373

Keywords:

inclusive education, early childhood education and care, pre-school inclusive education, pre-school teachers’ training needs

Abstract

Early childhood is a critical period for learning and development and an opportunity to prevent possible delays and difficulties. Children's participation in preschool education has a significant positive effect on their cognitive, social and emotional development. Therefore, early childhood is vital to ensure access to quality inclusive education for all children and especially for children at risk of socio-economic exclusion, children at risk of development and children in disadvantaged environments. The new human rights approach to inclusive education requires a change of mentality and a different pedagogical approach and support systems should aim to increase the capacity/empowerment of schools to meet the diversity of students’ needs. There is a need to transform the education system, so that all students are welcome and have the opportunity to belong, to participate actively and to learn. In this article, we report a study on the investigation of the training needs, knowledge and skills of preschool teachers in Greece for the implementation of inclusive education. Quantitative data obtained through a questionnaire were supplemented by preschool teacher interviews. The focus was on the investigation of the training needs of preschool teachers in Greece and the analysis of a number of factors and conditions that seem to be effective in inclusive practices. The findings can contribute to the improvement of inclusive practices in preschool education and influence the policy and practice of inclusive education in Greece.

 

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Author Biographies

  • Maria Kyriazopoulou, Department of Educational Science and Early Childhood Education, University of Patras, Greece

    Maria Kyriazopoulou is a PhD candidate in the Department of Educational Science and Early Childhood Education, at the University of Patras. She is also Project Manager with the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education. The Agency, based in Brussels is established by the Ministries of Education of the Member States to act as their platform for collaboration in the field of Special Needs and Inclusive Education. Main responsibilities involve project management with the participation of representatives of all Member States, inclusion studies, early childhood education issues, multicultural diversity issues, vocational training and employment issues, policy analysis, and involvement in the strengthening of collaboration with relevant European and International organizations. For the last thirty years, she has been working in the area of inclusion of people with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other groups at risk of exclusion, at European level.

  • Thanassis Karalis, Department of Educational Science and Early Childhood Education, University of Patras, Greece

    Thanassis Karalis is Professor of Lifelong Learning and Adult Education at the Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education of the University of Patras and Director of the Laboratory of Pedagogical Research and Lifelong Education. He has collaborated with many educational institutions as trainer, consultant, coordinator and evaluator of adult education programs (including National Accreditation Center of Greece, Labor Institute, Institute of Small Enterprises). He was the coordinator of the National Program for Education of Educators (General Secretariat of Lifelong Learning - 2014), where more than 4.200 adult educators of Greece were trained on the basis of a hybrid program. He is a member of the Quality Assurance Unit of the University of Patras for more than fifteen years, a member of the Board of Directors of the Center of Lifelong Education at the University of Patras, and coordinator of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL).

  • Konstantinos Magos, Department of Early Childhood Education, University of Thessaly, Greece

    Konstantinos Magos is Associate Professor at the Department of Early Childhood Education of the University of Thessaly in Greece. His scientific interests focus on theory and practice of intercultural education, education of immigrant and refugees as well as on adult education. He teaches courses about the intercultural dimension in education, the designing of intercultural activities and material and the usage of intercultural children literature. Beside the courses he cooperates as volunteer at refugee camps, immigrant associations and Roma centers, teaching children and adults and organizing teacher and parent trainings. He has participated in many national and international conferences on intercultural education issues and has published articles in international academic journals.

  • Eugenia Arvanitis, Department of Educational Science and Early Childhood Education, University of Patras, Greece

    Dr. Eugenia Arvanitis is Associate Professor of Interculturality & Diversity in Education at the University of Patras, Greece and Practicum Coordinator of the joint Master’s program (with the University of Nicosia) on Intercultural Education and Mediation. Dr. Arvanitis lived for a decade in Australia gaining valuable experience in multicultural educational and ethnic language maintenance policies. Since 2015 Eugenia coordinates the Forum on Intercultural Dialogue and Learning at the University of Patras, Greece and she is the Editor of Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations Research Network and the Swiss Journal of Intercultural Education, Training and Research. Eugenia is a Fulbright scholar at the University of Illinois, Mentor in the program Public Policy New Voices Europe (Salzburg Global Seminar) and stakeholder in the SIETAR Switzerland consultation group for the UNESCO dialogue on Futures of Education. In recent years, she has focused on school-based teachers’ intercultural learning and differentiated pedagogy through the Learning by Design approach and using social knowledge web-based platforms: ‘Nea Mathisi’ and Scholar.

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Published

2022-07-14

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 3 (2022)

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