Inclusive education has become a global priority in promoting equitable and quality education for all learners, with teachers playing a key role in implementing inclusive practices. While teacher efficacy for inclusive practice has been widely studied, existing research has predominantly focused on measuring efficacy levels or identifying influencing factors. Less attention has been given to how teachers evaluate their beliefs about their capabilities to implement inclusive practices in real situations. This study addresses this gap by examining how teachers evaluate their efficacy for inclusive practice and how different factors influence both their practice and their efficacy evaluation. Guided by Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, a mixed-methods design was adopted in the context of early childhood education in Hong Kong. Quantitative data were collected using the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practice (TEIP) scale, alongside qualitative interviews exploring teachers’ interpretations of experiences. The findings suggest that teachers’ efficacy is not an immediate or intuitive judgement, but is shaped by conditions created through multiple influencing factors that affect their actions. These conditions relate to teachers’ knowledge, pedagogical practices, sense of legitimacy and psychological security, opportunities for action, motivation, and their sense of certainty. These conditions may enable, sustain, or constrain teachers’ engagement in inclusive practice. Through engaging in practice, teachers generate informational cues that inform their evaluation of efficacy. This study contributes by shifting the focus from efficacy as a measurable outcome to understanding how it is evaluated in practice. The findings highlight the importance of creating conditions that support teachers’ engagement in inclusive practice.

Authors:
Hiu Ching Chan, University of Reading, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Hiu Ching Chan is a PhD candidate at the University of Reading, UK, and a former Senior Lecturer at the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education. Her research focuses on teacher efficacy for inclusive practice in early childhood education.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Tuesday Schedule

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