Inclusive education: perception of educators and challenges to teacher training

Abstract

This article presents the results of a qualitative study with a hermeneutical and comprehensive approach, developed at the Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil, with 8 teachers to answer the questions: ¿What is the perception of the teachers at this institution regarding inclusive education? How do they evaluate their training to take on the challenge of implementing inclusive education? Considering that there is a relationship between the behavior, attitude, and perception of the teacher regarding educational inclusion, the study aimed to systematize the teachers' criteria on inclusive education and the challenges for teacher training. Various methods and techniques were used for its development; among the theoretical methods, analysis and synthesis, and induction-deduction, and among the empirical methods, bibliographic analysis, surveys, and interviews. As a result of the research, a diversity of positions on inclusive education were identified, sometimes too narrow, confined to the attention of students with disabilities; this limits its implementation in practice and presents both objective and subjective barriers to its successful development, among which the insufficient training of teachers stands out, which poses challenges for their ongoing professional development.