Atiles, J. T., Jones, J. L., & Kim, H. (2012).

Field Experience + Inclusive ECE Classrooms =

Increased Preservice Teacher Efficacy in Working with Students with
Developmental Delays or Disabilities. Educational Research Quarterly, 36(2), 62-85.
Julia Atiks and Jennifer Jones of Oklahoma State University and Hyun Jin Kim of
Sungkyunwan University conducted a study to see the impact of field experiences on
Early Childhood education preservice teachers' efficacy toward working with children
with special needs.
165 undergraduate preservice teachers had the opportunity for field experience at a Rise
School that has a high ratio of students with developmental delays or disabilities along
with their typically developing peers (p. 68). For this study, the preservice teachers
completed a questionnaire regarding their completed ECE courses, field placements, and
experience working with children with special needs. They also took a modified version
of the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale.
The results indicated that preservice teachers who have more direct experience working
with children with special needs in their field experience had greater feelings of efficacy.
The positive correlations within this study provide evidence that preservice teachers'
sense of efficacy is not solely contingent upon the number of hours spent in inclusive
settings; rather it is systematically related to the ratio of children with developmental
delays or disabilities to typically developing peers in their field experience classrooms
(p. 75).
Bain, C., & Hasio, C. (2011). Authentic Learning Experience Prepares Preservice Students
to Teach Art to Children with Special Needs. Art Education, 64(2), 33-39.
Christina Bain, an Associate Professor of Art Education at the University of North Texas,
along with Cindy Hasio, a doctoral candidate, focus on the importance of authentic real
world experience (p. 35) when teaching students with special needs. The course ART
4750/5750 Art and Special Needs was created in May 2007 after discussions with recent
art education graduates and local art teachers (p. 35) who felt there was a lack of
preparation in working with students with special needs.
Bain states, The overarching goal of this course was to help preservice students gain the
confidence and skills necessary for working with students with special needs through
authentic learning experiences provided by fieldwork (p. 35). The class was divided into
three groups, two groups worked with middle school students and one group worked with
high school. Each group had four preservice teaches and a graduate student team leader.
The classes in which they served had 5-12 students with special needs.
Through writings, discussions, personal communication and artwork Bain states, This
authentic experience in local classrooms helped these preservice students feel empowered
toward working with children with special needs (p. 39).
Kim, H. J. (2012). The effects of inclusive-classroom experience on early childhood
preservice teachers self-efficacy. Asia-Pacific journal of research in early childhood
education, 6(1), 161-179.

Hyun Jin Kim of Sungkyunwan University conducted a study to examine preservice

teachers self-efficacy in teaching children with disabilities to determine whether
firsthand field experience in an inclusive setting influences preservice teachers selfefficacy (p. 161).
In this research study, 146 preservice teachers were divided into two groups: those with
firsthand experience at the inclusive Sunshine Lab School (approx. 36%) and those
without (approx. 64%) completed a self-report questionnaire and a modified TSES. The
results revealed that the preservice teachers with firsthand field experience (attendance)
in an inclusive classroom perceived themselves to be more efficacious than their
counterparts. However, there were no significant effects of time spent at the inclusive
setting and courses taken (p. 161).
Peebles, J., & Mendaglio, S. (2014). Preparing Teachers for Inclusive Classrooms:
Introducing the Individual Direct Experience Approach. Inclusive Education:
Socially Just Perspectives and Practices, 245.
Jodi Peebles, EdD, is an instructor of educational psychology at the University of Alberta.
She has also taught graduate-level inclusive education courses for the University of
British Columbia Okanagan. Sal Mendaglio, PhD, is a professor in the Faculty of
Education, University of Calgary. He also has extensive experience in teacher preparation
including teaching and administration.
This article is about the Individual Direct Experience Approach (IDEA) as an innovative
approach to preparing teachers for inclusive classrooms (p. ). The author talks about
other research on the subject of inclusion, and while it shows that inclusion courses can
help create more positive attitudes towards students with special needs, it doesnt always
translate into teachers feeling prepared to teach in an inclusive setting. The primary
objectives of IDEA are to develop practical inclusive teaching skills and to allay
preservice teachers anxieties regarding working with students with exceptional needs
(p. 250-251). IDEA is not just an inclusive course, but it also gives preservice teachers
the opportunity to work with students through field experience. IDEA allows preservice
teachers to experience direct interactions with a student with exceptional needs and to
apply the knowledge and skills learned from these interactions to make appropriate
adaptations or modifications to whole class lessons (p. 250).
Peebles, J. L., & Mendaglio, S. (2014). The Impact of Direct Experience on Preservice
Teachers; Self-Efficacy for Teaching in Inclusive Classrooms. International Journal
Of Inclusive Education, 18(12), 1321-1336.
Jodi Peebles, EdD, is an instructor of educational psychology at the University of Alberta.
She has also taught graduate-level inclusive education courses for the University of
British Columbia Okanagan. Sal Mendaglio, PhD, is a professor in the Faculty of
Education, University of Calgary. He also has extensive experience in teacher preparation
including teaching and administration.

This quantitative study was conducted to learn about the impact of an inclusion course
along with field experience on preservice teachers self-efficacy for teaching in inclusive
classrooms. The study consisted of 141 preservice teachers who completed The Teacher
Efficacy for Inclusive Practice (TEIP) scale, Self-esteem was measured using the
Rosenberg Self-Esteem (RSE) scale, and a demographics questionnaire.
The data collected showed that the coursework itself was effective in developing selfefficacy, but the combination of the coursework and the field experience made even more
substantial gains to the participants self-efficacy (p. 93). It also showed that more time
with direct experience with students with special needs and less time observing whole
class instruction, preservice teacher self-efficacy is more likely to increase.
Recchia, S. L., & Puig, V. I. (2011). Challenges and Inspirations: Student Teachers'
Experiences in Early Childhood Special Education Classrooms. Teacher Education
And Special Education, 34(2), 133-151.
Susan Recchia, an associate professor and coordinator of the Integrated Early Childhood
Program at Teachers College, Columbia University along with Victoria Puig, an assistant
professor in the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Literacy Education Department at
Montclair State University in New Jersey, talk about their experience with a group of 5
preservice teachers in Early Childhood Education. These preservice teachers were
earning dual-certification in Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special
Education. This study looks specifically at the impact of field experience in selfcontained classrooms through student journals.
Findings from our study demonstrate that placements in self-contained settings can offer
particular value for student teachers. As gathering places for children with a range of
disabilities and the expertise and resources to serve them, these classrooms can be a rich
training ground for new teachers learning and development (p. 148). The preservice
teachers were able to collaborate with teachers and specialists to learn more about
individual students.
Shillingford, S. (2012). Preservice teachers' self efficacy and knowledge of emotional and
behavioral disorders. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A, 73, 2021.
Shani Shillingford, doctoral candidate at the University of Northern Colorado College
wrote a dissertation on the knowledge and self-efficacy of preservice teachers toward
emotional and behavioral disorders.
This study was conducted to learn about preservice teachers knowledge of emotional and
behavioral disorders (EBD) and their sense of efficacy. The Teacher Self Efficacy Scale
(TSES) and Knowledge of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders questionnaire were given
to 230 undergraduate general education and special education preservice teachers.

Results showed that the preservice teachers had higher efficacy in instructional strategies,
classroom management, and instructional abilities than in student engagement. The study
also showed that field experiences, additional coursework, and familiarity with a child
diagnosed with EBD had no influence on their knowledge of EBD and self-efficacy (p.
83).
Swain, K. D., Nordness, P. D., & Leader-Janssen, E. M. (2012). Changes in Preservice
Teacher Attitudes toward Inclusion. Preventing School Failure, 56(2), 75-81.
Kristine Swain, an associate professor and the University of Nebraska-Omaha with her
colleagues Philip Nordness and Elizabeth Leader-Janssen, both assistant professors at the
University of Nebraska, conducted a study to examine the change in preservice teachers
beliefs and attitudes about inclusive practices following an introductory special education
course, paired with a 20-hour practicum experience observing and working with students
with disabilities in a variety of special education settings (p. 76). They used a modified
version of the Attitude Toward Inclusion Intrument survey. There was a total of 777
students between 2004 and 2008 who took both the presurvey and post survey. The
results showed significant positive change was the belief that general education
classroom teachers have the expertise to work with students with disabilities (p. 79).
The results of this study suggest that preservice teacher perceptions can be positively
impacted by observing and working in inclusive schools with teachers who are
effectively accommodating students with disabilities in the general education setting (p.
80).
Taliaferro, A. R., Hammond, L., & Wyant, K. (2015). Preservice Physical Educators SelfEfficacy Beliefs Toward Inclusion: The Impact of Coursework and
Practicum. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 32(1), 49-67.
This study was conducted to see Preservice physical educators self-efficacy beliefs
toward inclusion through coursework accompanied with practicum. There were 98
participants for the study (n = 75 male, n = 23 female) volunteer undergraduate in
Physical education teacher education (PETE) majors at a large Midwestern university.
This study used PESEISD-A ) which is a 10-item measure of self-efficacy in regard to
performing tasks associated with the inclusion of students with autism in physical
education (p. 54) and SSSI-PETE which is a 15-item measure of self-efficacy beliefs in
regard to three disability subscales (p.55): intellectual disabilities (ID), physical
disabilities (PD), and visual impairments (VI). There were 75 students with disabilities
per semester to work with during the practicum.
Based on the results, it can be concluded that coursework combined with a practicum
targeting the sources of self-efficacy can have a significant impact on beliefs toward
inclusion (p. 61).

VanWeelden, K., & Whipple, J. (2005). The effects of field experience on music
education majors' perceptions of music instruction for secondary students with
special needs. Journal Of Music Teacher Education, 14(2), 62-69.
Kimberly VanWeelden is assistant professor of choral music education in the College of
Music at The Florida State University in Tallahassee. Jennifer Whipple is a policy analyst
in the Florida Legislatures Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government
Accountability.
Research was conducted to show the effect of field experiences on music education
preservice teachers perceptions of music instruction for students with special needs at the
middle school level. In this study, 28 music education preservice teachers completed a
survey that consisted of 17 questions regarding the students perceptions of music for
secondary students with special needs, including how prepared, comfortable, willing, and
perceptive they were toward working with special learners (p. 64-65) before starting
their field experience. For 5 weeks the participants worked in self-contained classrooms
at a local middle school and were responsible for planning, preparing, and teaching
specific music concepts. After the field experience, the participants completed the same
questionnaire for comparison analysis. Results showed that preservice teachers felt
significantly more positive about interacting with this population, however, the
preservice teachers perceptions of the behaviors of students with special needs and their
capabilities to learn like other children their age did not change significantly after the
field experience (p. 68). This may be due to the fact that the preservice teachers were not
able to interact with typical functioning students at the same time.