Nieole J. Hunka

Bio: Nieole J. Hunka is an academic researcher from West Virginia University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Competence (human resources) & Higher education. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 58 citations.

Preparing General Education Teachers for Inclusive Classrooms: Assessing the Process:

Abstract: There is little doubt that general education teachers need to be prepared for students with special needs who will be in their classrooms. In this article, we describe West Virginia University's five-year preservice teacher education program efforts to meet this need. Using a strand approach, a series of special education learning outcomes and competencies have been incorporated into the core courses required of all education majors. Using both quantitative and qualitative assessments, students enrolled in their second, third and fourth year of the teacher education program and faculty teaching the core courses responded to the degree of competence and confidence they felt regarding the strand approach. Recommendations for WVU's fifth program year as well as for strengthening other teacher preparation programs with similar concerns are offered and supported.

Preparing new teachers for inclusive schools and classrooms.

Abstract: This is an ESCalate development project led by Eileen Winter of Queen's University, Belfast. This project is both investigative and comparative in nature. It is specific to the N. Ireland context, and an extension of a similar project undertaken by the proposer at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Canada (2002-2003). It will allow for cross-jurisdictional comparisons in relation to preparing teachers for inclusive classrooms. It has long been recognised that new teachers are apprehensive about their ability to teach students with special educational needs (SEN), and have found their preparation for inclusive classrooms inadequate at best (Garner, 1996; Dwyfor Davis a Garner, 1997). The project will produce evidence of the current status of SEN in Initial Teacher Education in N. Ireland. Findings will draw from the experiences of current practitioners to establish guidelines for good practice in preparing teachers for inclusive settings. Findings will be compared with the Ontario study and, where appropriate, will be amalgamated into a set of recommendations pertinent in both jurisdictions. It includes a final project report

"Less Afraid to Have "Them" in My Classroom": Understanding Pre-Service General Educators' Perceptions about Inclusion.

Abstract: The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2002) and the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004) have resulted in greater numbers of students with disabilities (SWDs) receiving most of their instruction in general education settings Specifically, in 2004 the majority (96%) of SWDs were being included in regular settings and just over half (521%) of these students spent most (79%) of the day in a general education classroom (US Department of Education, 2009) Over the last decade, researchers have noted the continued trend toward educating SWDs in general education settings and underscored the need for all teachers to be prepared to work with all learners (Kavale & Forness, 2000; Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2001) At the time of the Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education (SPeNSE; 2001) data collection, 96% of general educators indicated they currently or had previously taught SWDs Exceptional learners are spending increasingly more instructional time in the general education setting and will require high quality teachers who are willing and ready to meet their needs Response to Intervention (RtI) is described as, "a school-wide initiative with special education as an explicit part of the framework spanning both general and special education in collaboration with families" (Council for Exceptional Children, 2007) RtI, as a mechanism for improving student outcomes through assessment, progress monitoring, prevention, and intervention, is in line with expectations of the NCLB and IDEA (Mellard & Johnson, 2008) An increased emphasis on the use of RtI frameworks and use of evidence-based and research-supported practice suggest the importance of inclusion and teacher accountability The concern becomes whether or not general education teachers have the necessary skills to scaffold support within their classrooms and whether the system supports collaboration with special educators, other service providers, and families to improve outcomes for all students (McLeskey & Waldron, 2006) To illustrate, in a review of teacher education literature, Brownell, Ross, Colon, and McCallum (2005) reported that most studies indicated that programs have content on collaboration with other professionals and families Programs also placed an emphasis on inclusion Unfortunately, the pedagogy used to prepare teacher candidates for collaboration or inclusion was not well documented These findings were not surprising considering research (SPeNSE, 2001) that showed that less than one-third of early career general educators ([less than or equal to] six years) reported receiving pre-service training in collaboration with special educators, the area that had the greatest effect on their sense of efficacy in working with SWDs Slightly over half reported receiving preparation on making instructional adaptations, while two-thirds reported receiving instruction on behavior management Limited preparation has consistently been found to heighten fear and reduce the sense of teaching self-efficacy of general educators when faced with the demands of inclusive classrooms (Boling, 2007; Lombardi & Hunka, 2001; Hastings & Oakford, 2003) Novice teachers also report feeling unprepared to meet the needs of SWDs especially in designing appropriate instruction (Conderman & Johnston-Rodriguez, 2005) Thus, teacher educators must understand the needs of pre-service teachers and emphasize the importance of being skilled in inclusive practices (Pugach, 2005) The present study examined the perceptions of elementary and secondary education majors toward the inclusion of SWDs prior to and after taking a course on integrating exceptional students The study is guided by Pajares' (1992) framework on beliefs Successful teaching and learning in the inclusive classroom is largely predicated on a teacher's knowledge, skills, and dispositions, all of which can be undermined by a belief system that is inconsistent with an inclusive paradigm …

A Model for Preparing Special and General Education Preservice Teachers for Inclusive Education

Abstract: Project ACCEPT (Achieving Creative & Collaborative Educational Preservice Teams) represents an initiative at Northern Illinois University, where special and general education preservice teachers are joined in a voluntary project featuring an enhanced curriculum and field experiences in inclusive classrooms. Participants receive intensive preparation in use of assistive technologies, functional behavioral assessment, and instructional accommodations as well as experience designing lesson plans that include features of universal design. This article describes the specific features of the Project ACCEPT curriculum and outcomes for the first year of implementation.

Preservice and early career teachers' attitudes toward inclusion, instructional accommodations, and fairness: Three profiles

Abstract: This investigation examined the attitudes of beginning general education teachers (preservice and early career) with respect to teaching in inclusion classrooms. Sixty graduate students, taking a survey at the conclusion of a special education course, completed Q-sorts constructed to evaluate responses regarding attitude toward (a) inclusion, (b) instructional accommodations, and (c) fairness, along two dimensions: positive/negative and anxious/confident. A three-factor solution resulted in profiles of three groups of teachers: keen, but anxious, beginners (mostly preservice teachers with positive attitudes, but who worried about being effective inclusion teachers); positive doers (more experienced teachers whose struggles with the challenges of inclusion had not deterred their positive attitudes); and resisters (mostly experienced teachers whose concerns about fairness signified their resistance to inclusion). Teacher educators may find these profiles useful in preparing teachers to teach in inclusion cl...

Enhancing preservice teachers' sense of efficacy and attitudes toward school diversity through preparation: a case of one u.s. inclusive teacher education program

Abstract: Conducted in one inclusive teacher education program in the United States, this study explored the trajectory of and the relationships between preservice teachers’ sense of efficacy and attitudes toward school diversity through the course of preparation. Findings revealed that, in general, changes of preservice teachers’ perceived efficacy, attitudes towards inclusion, and beliefs of socio-cultural diversity reflected the particular foci at different phases of the program. Overall, participants’ perceived sense of efficacy showed significant, positive associations with their attitudes towards inclusion and beliefs about socio-cultural diversity. However, regardless of their perceived levels of efficacy, participants were negative about teaching children with behavioral disabilities. On the one hand, the study suggests the effectiveness of the program to educate preservice teachers to positively respond to school diversity. On the other hand, it also indicates that preservice teachers across the board persistently hoarded negative feelings about children with behavioral disabilities. The study recommends that teacher educators may need to devote ample resources and employ effective strategies to improve preservice teachers’ attitudes towards children with behavioral challenges.