The Educators’ Attitudes Towards Universal Design For Learning: A Pilot Study

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework and method of instructionfor educational settings that is increasingly being employed all over the world asit aims to be inclusive of various types of learners who may differ in their pace,method, style of learning. It reduces barriers to the learning process for allstudents, including children with disabilities.This study uses the base provided by the principles of Universal Design forLearning (UDL) and Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) as its guidingprinciples for assessment.The purpose of this study was to determine the level of awareness about UDL andUDI, the readiness to incorporate it into their instruction among the primaryteachers in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India. The teachers survey regarding UDLwas conducted in this study using a self-developed tool called Universal Designfor Learning Awareness and Readiness Scale (UDLARS).The findings of the study state that overall, the level of awareness and readinessamong primary teachers in Bareilly is high with respect to understanding andinculcating the module of Universal Design for Learning into their mode ofinstruction. Further, it was found that age and level of educational qualificationmediate the relationship with Awareness about UDL i.e., teachers equal to orbelow the age of 30 years (as compared to those above 30 years) and those withBachelors qualifications (as opposed to Masters) possessed higher levels ofAwareness. Other correlates for Awareness and Readiness were not found to bestatistically significant. These findings help in establishing the amount ofeducation and training required among instructors, educators to adopt teachingmethods based on UDL for students to enhance their learning process.