Effect of an Inclusive Education Course Delivered Through a Flipped Learning Approach on Pre-Service Teachers’ Self-Efficacy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT

The discrimination and exclusion of children with special educational needs from mainstream classrooms can be attributed to inadequate preparation of pre-service teachers for inclusive teaching. Teachers’ self-efficacy, which refers to beliefs about their ability to implement inclusive strategies, is widely recognized as a crucial factor in preparing pre-service teachers to perform confidently and effectively in mainstream classrooms. This article, part of a broader study exploring the mediating role of pre-service teachers’ beliefs about inclusive education in the relationship between an inclusive education course intervention- delivered through a flipped learning approach- and teachers’ self-efficacy, reports only the direct effects. The sample consisted of 240 Tamil-speaking pre-service teachers randomly selected from initial teacher education institutions across Sri Lanka. A randomized controlled trial with pre- and post-tests, employing an experimental design with a control group, was conducted. Data were collected using the culturally adapted Tamil version of the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices scale and analyzed through MANCOVA in IBM SPSS and PLS-SEM in SmartPLS4. The results revealed the differential impact of the intervention on the three domains of teacher efficacy: inclusive instruction, behaviour management, and collaboration, with the intervention significantly predicting these efficacy dimensions. These findings contribute to initial teacher education programs by providing structured, institution-level, course-based exposure to inclusive education through practical approaches, thereby better preparing pre-service teachers for inclusive classrooms.