Regular pre-service teachers’ perception on inclusive education of students with disabilities in Vietnam.
Abstract
Aim: The study investigates the perceptions of Vietnamese regular pre-service teachers on
inclusive education (IE) of students with disabilities (SWD) in Vietnam by examining
how pre-service teachers understand the concept of inclusive education, the primary
sources of information used by pre-service teachers to acquire knowledge about
inclusive education, and their perceived preparedness to include students with
disabilities in regular classrooms.
Theory: The charity model or Confucian philosophy, the medical model, and the social model of
disability were adopted to explore the perceptions of Vietnamese regular pre-service
teachers.
Method: The study employed a qualitative approach based on purposive sampling, whereby semi
structured interviews were held with six pre-service teachers studying at three
universities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and document analysis (university program
curriculum). The data collected were analyzed thematically.
Results: The results reveal that most Vietnamese pre-service teachers understand IE of SWD as
physical placement of SWD in regular classes with students without disability. The pre service teachers’ perceptions are framed mainly by the charity and the medical model of
disability. The prospective teachers mainly gained information about IE from the media
such as Internet, radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, rarely from teacher training at
university or college. Most of the pre-service teachers felt frustrated with IE of SWD
and ill-prepared for the implementation of IE. Insufficient initial teacher training and
limited knowledge in teaching SWD in regular classes, lack of school supports, limited
awareness of the community about SWD, lack of contact with people of disabilities, and
the pre-service teachers’ skepticism about the effectiveness of IE are factors that affect
prospective teachers’ preparedness. The study calls for the need of providing teacher
training about inclusive education for all educational levels in Vietnamese universities
Degree
Student Essay
Collections
Date
2023-10-31Author
Le, Thuan
Keywords
inclusive education
initial teacher training
Vietnam
Language
eng