The competences of young teachers in education of pupils with special educational needs

Introduction. The present article considers the problem of readiness of young teachers to teach children with special educational needs in countries where the introduction of inclusive education began only in the last decade. The authors describe the key concepts of the theory of formation of professional skills and competences of teachers for working in inclusive education, based on which the results of research conducted in theCzechRepublic,Poland andRussia.

The aim of this article is to compare the experience of young teachers in teaching children with special educational needs in relation to their skills and competences needed to perform this task.

Methodology and research methods. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data, which were eventually processed using basic statistics (quantitative survey) and the open-coding method (qualitative content).

Results. The results of the study indicate both strong and weak aspects of the skills of young teachers in teaching students with special educational needs. In particular, a qualitative analysis of teachers’ responses revealed some interesting ideas that can be used in the search for improvements in teacher training, as well as in the support provided to teachers working with children with special educational needs directly in the school environment at the beginning of their professional careers. In general, it can be stated that young teachers in all three countries do not feel sufficiently qualified in terms of training to work with these children and are in need of expert support.

Scientific novelty. The results of the current research allow for the determination of some priorities in teacher training for the modern development of inclusive education in the countries examined.

Practical significance. The presented materials of the research can become the basis for developing a system of expert support for young teachers in the implementation of inclusive education, as well as new programs for preparing future teachers to work with pupils with special educational needs.

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