Work

A simulation game for placement decision-making: fostering reflection and belief change about inclusion in teacher education

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Prospective teachers need to be professionally equipped to deal with dilemmatic, complex and multicausal situations in inclusive education. In addition, they should be able to make decisions about school placement that are in the best interests of their students with special needs. This study evaluated a simulation game that focusses on school placement decision-making (inclusion versus separation) regarding student teachers’ belief change and levels of reflection in university teacher education programmes. Using a quasi-experimental repeated measures design, the student teachers were assigned to a simulation game (n = 46), group discussion (n = 47) or control group without intervention (n = 32). The results showed that participation in the simulation game led to significant increases in the student teachers’ reflections regarding decision-making and contributed significantly to their positive beliefs about inclusion. These findings indicate that simulation games are beneficial for professional development in inclusive education.

Source: International Journal of Inclusive Education

DOI: 10.1080/13603116.2024.2319095

Authors: Katja Adl-Amini, Maria Theresa Meßner, Ilonca Hardy

Institutions: Technische Universität Darmstadt, Goethe University Frankfurt

Language: English

Topic: Innovative Teaching Methodologies in Social Sciences

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung