Teaching Practices in Inclusive Education

Abstract

The study examined the teaching practices of public elementary school teachers in inclusive education within the Division of Cabanatuan City. The purpose was to describe the demographic profiles of teachers, assess their instructional practices in academic, social, and physical domains, and determine whether significant relationships existed between teacher characteristics and their practices. A descriptive-correlational design was employed. The participants were 83 teachers from three public elementary schools, selected through simple random sampling. Data were gathered using a validated self-administered questionnaire based on a four-point Likert scale, and descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation were applied to analyze the data. Results showed that most respondents were female, aged 31–45, and taught Grade 1, typically handling one to three learners with special educational needs. Teachers consistently reported practicing inclusive strategies across academic, social, and physical domains, with social practices rated highest. Significant positive correlations were found between years of experience handling inclusive classes and all domains of practice, and between the number of seminars attended and academic and social practices. The study concludes that inclusive teaching practices are widely applied, and that professional development and teaching experience strengthen teachers’ capacity to address learners’ diverse needs in inclusive classrooms.