Fostering Acceptance of Needs-Based Fairness for Inclusion Students in Future Classrooms of Teacher Education Students

Purpose and Hypotheses of Study

The study by Berry (2008) had a purpose of fostering acceptance of needs-based fairness for inclusion students in future classrooms of teacher education students. An open-ended question guiding the study sought to find out novice teachers views about fairness (Berry, 2008). The goal of the study involved seeking understanding of a situation and examining the teachers’ views regarding fairness. Fairness is investigated because it holds implications for teachers’ ideals and pedagogy of inclusion.

Sample

Participants in the study by Berry (2008) comprised a subset of 47 of the 89 graduate students enrolled in six sections of a special education survey course at a major university in the United States. The subset of 47 graduate students included 20 preservice teachers and 17 inservice teachers; 27 early childhood/elementary teachers, 20 middle/high school teachers. Of the 47 participants, 38 were females and 9 males. Ethnic breakdown of the participants were as follows: 41 European Americans, 4 Asian Americans, and 2 other/unknown ethnicity.

Methods and Procedures

The subset of 47 participants, 38 females and 9 males, were enrolled at a major university that knew they were participating in a longitudinal study of attitudes about inclusion (Berry, 2008). The courses in which the students were enrolled emphasized the use of instructional techniques benefiting all students and advocated differentiation with regard to needs-based fairness as necessary to inclusive teaching. In this study coursework included optional readings concerning grading, student concerns about fairness, an activity based on Blanchard’s definitions of fairness, and LaVoie’s comments on fairness contained in a workshop ...

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...sed fairness, teachers can then focus on instructional practices that are effective for all students. This will, in turn, increase teachers’ confidence in inclusive teaching and willingness to teach students with disabilities. Fifth, teachers who have successfully taught in inclusive settings will reap the benefits of personal satisfaction gained from helping students with greater needs, an increased ability to teach students with varying needs and abilities, and being regarded by their colleagues as an effective teacher and role model.

As a final note, Berry (2008) assumes that these findings on fairness have implications outside the context of the classroom suggesting they also apply at the societal level.

Works Cited

Berry, R. A. W. (2008). Novice teachers’ conceptions of fairness in inclusion classrooms. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(5). 1149-1159.