Effectiveness of Inclusive Education Training on Teachers’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Classroom Practices: A Study of PITE Training in Dadu and Larkana

Abstract

This study examined the effectiveness of Inclusive Education Training on teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, and classroom practices in Dadu and Larkana, Sindh, Pakistan. The study was significant because effective inclusive education depends substantially on teachers’ capacity to understand learner diversity, develop positive attitudes toward inclusion, and translate inclusive principles into appropriate classroom practices. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was employed, and data were collected from 467 teachers and school management personnel associated with the Inclusive Education Training programmer implemented through PITE Nawabshah in collaboration with the Sindh Education and Literacy Department (SELD) and HANDS. An adopted structured questionnaire was used to measure teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, and inclusive classroom practices. Data were collected through an online Google Forms questionnaire and subsequently organized in Microsoft Excel before being transferred to IBM SPSS for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression, independent-samples t-test, and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the data. The findings demonstrated positive relationships between Inclusive Education Training and teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, and inclusive classroom practices, while the regression analysis indicated that training significantly contributed to all three outcomes. Significant differences were also observed across teaching-experience groups, while gender differences were identified in teachers’ knowledge and classroom practices but not in attitudes. Overall, the study concluded that structured Inclusive Education Training can contribute to strengthening teachers’ professional capacity and supporting the implementation of inclusive education in school settings. The findings provide useful evidence for policymakers, teacher-training institutions, and educational administrators seeking to strengthen inclusive education through continuous and practically oriented professional development programmers in Sindh, Pakistan.