Confusion, Tension, and Transformation: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of Learning Inclusive Education in Punjab’s Initial Teacher Education Programs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55737/trt/v-i.204Keywords:
Inclusive Education, Pre-Service Teachers, Initial Teacher Education, Reflexive Thematic Analysis, Punjab, Pakistan, Teacher Training, Qualitative ResearchAbstract
This study examines inclusive education learning experience among pre-service teachers in initial teacher education in Punjab, Pakistan. It focuses on the meanings that the pre-service teachers construct on the basis of their learning experiences. Data were collected based on semi-structured interviews, which involved individual meetings with eight pre-service teachers who were registered in various teacher education institutions in Punjab. The interviews were transcribed through AI transcription tools and analysed through NVivo software with the AI-assisted coding option. The analysis led to four themes, which included overcoming conceptual confusion, overcoming practical unpreparedness, living in tension between policy and practice, and personal transformation. The findings indicate that there are quite notable discrepancies between the theoretical training and the working process, insufficient experience in the real classroom experiences of inclusion and in attitudes that lie very deep in the sociocultural assumptions. Some participants stated that they were not ready to pursue inclusive practices even after completing the coursework requirements. The findings serve to inform how initial teacher education programmes construct the ability of Pakistani pre-service teachers to create inclusive learning spaces.
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