Journal article
Teacher agency for inclusion: a study on the attitudes of pre-service support teachers
Australian educational researcher, Vol.First online
26/08/2025
Appears in Recent Faculty of Education Publications
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Abstract
This paper explores the concept of teacher agency for inclusive education, focusing on the application of European Union education policies in the Italian school system. The concept of agency, defined as the teacher’s ability to act in a proactive and transformative way within educational contexts, emerges as a crucial trajectory for the implementation of successful inclusive practices. Through a grounded theory qualitative analysis, this study explores the perceptions of 263 Italian preservice support teachers regarding their role as members of an inclusive professional learning community. The analysis of the participants’ narratives highlights the importance of integrating attitudes, knowledge and competences in creating inclusive learning environments. The conceptual model presented in this paper is derived from the qualitative analysis of pre-service support teachers’ perceptions of themselves as agents of change and is categorised under three domains: reflexivity, collaboration and transformation. The findings suggest how teacher training and inclusive education policies, aligned with European regulations and evidence from international academic research, should be designed to promote teacher agency that fosters effective practice.
Details
- Title
- Teacher agency for inclusion: a study on the attitudes of pre-service support teachers
- Creators
- Catia Giaconi - University of MacerataIlaria D’Angelo - University of MacerataTina Marcoionni - Southern Cross UniversityTommaso Santilli - University of MacerataLucia Borsini - University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” (Italy, Naples)
- Publication Details
- Australian educational researcher, Vol.First online
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Identifiers
- 991013309822102368
- Copyright
- © The Australian Association for Research in Education, Inc. 2025
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Education
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article