What is it about?
This study explores how to better prepare future elementary school teachers in Ukraine to work in inclusive classrooms—that is, classrooms that support students with special educational needs (SEN) alongside their peers. We compared two groups of pre-service teachers: one was trained using traditional teaching methods, and the other took part in a specially designed program that focused on inclusive education. Our goal was to see which approach was more effective in building future teachers' motivation and confidence to create inclusive learning environments. The results showed that traditional methods brought only small improvements. In contrast, the new training program significantly increased students’ motivation, understanding of inclusion, and belief in their ability to teach all children effectively. For example, in the experimental group, fewer students saw inclusion as too difficult, and more felt ready and motivated to teach students with SEN. By the end of the program, 74.1% of participants in the experimental group showed high levels of readiness to support inclusive education—compared to only 47.7% in the control group. These findings suggest that with the right training, future teachers can be better equipped to ensure all children feel included and supported in the classroom
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Why is it important?
This research is both unique and timely because it addresses an urgent need in Ukrainian education: preparing future elementary school teachers to work effectively in inclusive classrooms—where students with and without special educational needs learn together. What makes this study unique is its practical, experimental approach. Rather than just discussing the idea of inclusive education, the study tested and compared two real methods of teacher training. The specially designed training program showed strong results: future teachers became more confident, motivated, and better prepared to support diverse learners. It is timely because inclusive education is now a legal and moral priority in Ukraine, especially as the country reforms its education system and responds to new challenges, including those caused by the war. Schools are increasingly welcoming students with a wide range of needs, and teachers must be ready to provide equal learning opportunities for everyone. This research offers practical, tested solutions that can be used right now to improve teacher training and support inclusion across the country.
Perspectives
As an educator and researcher committed to improving teacher training, I was struck by how many future teachers in both the control and experimental groups initially undervalued their own role in creating inclusive classrooms. For many of them, inclusive education seemed like an optional extra—something for school administrators to manage, or a task too difficult to take on personally. What truly motivated this research was seeing the disconnect between the principles of inclusive education and the actual readiness of future teachers to implement them. Even students who expressed general support for inclusion often lacked confidence, motivation, and a clear understanding of what it really means to teach all children, including those with special educational needs (SEN). Conducting the formative experiment was a turning point. I witnessed a real shift in the experimental group—not just in numbers, but in attitudes. Students began to see inclusion not as a burden, but as a professional calling. They started to recognize that being an inclusive teacher requires more than goodwill—it demands preparation, reflection, and a deep belief in every child’s potential. One of the most powerful moments for me was analyzing the post-experiment results. Seeing a 31.6% increase in students who felt fully or mostly ready to work in inclusive classrooms—and a drop of over 17% in those who felt it was too hard or weren’t motivated—confirmed that targeted, thoughtful training can truly transform future educators’ mindsets. This research reminded me that inclusive education doesn’t start with policies—it starts with people, especially the teachers who shape daily classroom experiences. If we want inclusion to be real, we must start by preparing those teachers with not only knowledge and skills, but with motivation and conviction. That’s what this research set out to do—and what, I believe, we’ve begun to achieve.
Sergiy Sydoriv
Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University
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This page is a summary of: ФОРМУВАННЯ МОТИВАЦІЙНО-ЦІННІСНОЇ ГОТОВНОСТІ МАЙБУТНІХ УЧИТЕЛІВ ДО СТВОРЕННЯ ІНКЛЮЗИВНОГО ОСВІТНЬОГО СЕРЕДОВИЩА В ПОЧАТКОВІЙ ШКОЛІ (ЕКСПЕРИМЕНТАЛЬНИЙ КЕЙС), Суспільство та національні інтереси, March 2025, Ukrainian Assembly of Doctors of Science in Public Administration,
DOI: 10.52058/3041-1572-2025-3(11)-326-337.
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