Teachers’ continuous training and inclusive education – A critical stance supported by teachers’ narratives

Placing students with diverse abilities, cultures and ethnicities in schools implies a critical look at teachers’ continuous training to ensure high-quality education for all learners. This study explores teachers’ continuous training and inclusive education. A qualitative study was conducted in Portugal and took on an exploratory form, emphasising the narratives of 58 participants. Data were collected through an open-ended questionnaire, allowing the respondents to answer spontaneously. The participants responded to questions about 1) inclusive pedagogical practices; 2) continuous teachers’ training offered for their professional development as inclusive educators; 3) main needs for continuing professional development in inclusive education; and 4) the sustainability of inclusive education. For data analysis, we adopted the procedures of the thematic analysis method. Two main themes and five subthemes were identified. The data revealed that inadequate teacher training has been delivered throughout the years, and this is a barrier to implementing inclusive education. Teachers reported that they neither know the theoretical foundations nor the pedagogical practices required to adapt the teaching methodologies for classes with a diverse cohort of students.