An investigation into the professional development needs of Upper Primary and Secondary teachers in mainstream, private schools to meet the diverse learning needs in Indian classrooms

The research reported in this thesis investigates the professional development needs of mainstream teachers, teaching upper primary and secondary classes to successfully cater to a class of diverse learners. The research was conducted in mainstream private, English medium schools, that followed one of the national education boards in four of the five largest metropolitan cities of India: Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata. The study used a mixed methods approach involving a webbased survey for teachers (n=280) in the first stage and focus group discussions with teachers (n=8 with 50 teachers involved in all) and semi structured interviews (n=16) with other stakeholders such as the heads of schools, counsellors, SENCos and section heads or coordinators in the second stage. The study sought to answer questions on the challenges faced by mainstream teachers in catering to the needs of diverse learners, identifying their professional development needs for inclusion, understanding their perceptions on the efficacy of the methods currently used to meet their professional development needs and obtaining suggestions about the content and features of an ideal professional development programme. The study has its underpinnings in the social constructivist theory. The findings of the study reveal that the challenges faced in inclusion were related to teachers’ attitudes, competencies and training, student related issues, school systems and policies, curriculum and parent cooperation and support. The common training needs pertained to knowledge and skills related to diverse needs, curriculum related and personal attributes of teachers. While schools were found to employ a variety of methods for professional development of teachers such as in-house training sessions, external workshops and guidance from Coordinators, Counsellors and SENCos, none of them were specifically designed to prepare teachers for a class of diverse learners. Suggestions for the content of a new training programme for inclusion comprised-knowledge of diverse needs and their identification, inclusive teaching practices and differentiated instruction, classroom management, lesson planning, subject and age specific training. Participants across all four locations suggested that exemplar programmes should be practical, regular, conducted at frequent intervals, have follow-ups, provide access to the resource person conducting the workshops, and involve interaction with experts and other schools. This study provides insights into the training needs of Indian mainstream educators for inclusion and the structure of a professional development programme. The evidence from these findings could be used as valuable inputs. The findings have implications for teacher educators who seek to formulate future professional development programmes for teachers. It also enables academic institutions and school managements to gain an insight into the challenges of teachers related to inclusive practice and extend all the necessary support to them. Suggestions for better and more effective implementation of inclusive practices can also guide school managements to make the necessary changes to school policies and systems such that they eliminate barriers and facilitate inclusion.