Inclusive education in British Columbia secondary schools: Moving from philosophy to informed practice

Abstract

Secondary classrooms in British Columbia (BC), Canada are becoming increasingly diverse due in part to students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) being enrolled more frequently in mainstream settings. Faced with a changing student population, educators are struggling to adapt their teaching practices. The intent of this research is to develop an understanding of how secondary teachers in BC are responding to these changes and how equipped they feel to teach in inclusive settings. Utilizing the qualitative narrative method and applying a constructivist approach, data collected from semi-structured interviews has been analyzed to examine teachers’ attitudes, understanding, and confidence regarding inclusive education in BC secondary schools.