Challenges and solutions for newly qualified teachers in inclusive classrooms: insights from Moscow City University alumni

This study aims to identify the pertinent challenges faced by novice teachers within their first three years of professional experience in inclusive educational settings, and to substantiate and formulate corresponding recommendations for addressing these challenges. The article examines problems arising in the professional activities of early-career special education teachers and teachers of other pedagogical specialties, such as biology, Russian language and literature, and history and social studies, working in inclusive environments. The results of a study designed to identify the difficulties encountered by new specialists in the first three years of their work in inclusive education are presented. The underlying causes of these challenges are analyzed, and recommendations for overcoming and preventing difficulties in the work of early-career professionals are formulated. The novelty of this research lies in the refined identification of existing and newly observed difficulties experienced by novice teachers in their first three years of working in inclusive educational spaces. These difficulties include increased maladjustment in the workplace due to heightened nervous exhaustion, stemming, in part, from the need to work with children with disabilities and a lack of preparedness (methodological and psychological) for interacting with these children and their parents. Furthermore, difficulties in communication with participants in the educational process are observed, particularly when interacting with students with disabilities and their parents (e.g., reluctance to discuss children's problems, fear of lacking authority in the eyes of parents, and an inability to communicate face-to-face due to the increasing digitization of society). The research identifies and provides a scientific rationale for specific conditions that facilitate the resolution of the identified difficulties during the first three years of a novice teacher's experience in inclusive education. These conditions include the necessity of preventing these difficulties during university training through diagnostic methods (testing) to assess a student's predisposition to experiencing them; the systematic and targeted organization of support for novice teachers in the workplace (establishment of a support service); and the organization of regular (no less than twice per quarter) methodological workshops for new teachers, offering interactive practical exercises for working with children in inclusive settings. The study identifies and describes the causes of the revealed difficulties; formulates and scientifically validates solutions to address the challenges faced by early-career professionals in their initial three years. The research establishes that the difficulties encountered by new specialists in their first three years in inclusive education share common underlying causes, primarily the absence of a mentor, a lack of preparedness for working with children with disabilities, and an inflated perception of their own professional capabilities. No correlation between the identified difficulties and the teacher's specialization was observed. Solutions to the problems faced by novice teachers lie in a systematic approach to prevention (starting during university training) and overcoming difficulties directly in the workplace. However, a range of specific problems emerging in contemporary settings were identified: difficulties in communication with all participants in educational relationships; an inability to interact effectively with students with disabilities and their parents; inadequate mentorship; poorly developed self-control and skills in "switching" between different activities to prevent "burnout"; and an inflated perception of their own professional competencies.