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Inclusive Education

Virtual Learning in Inclusive Education:

Findings about Attitudes and Learning

Research Group on Education for Inclusive Preschool Communities André C. Moreau, Claire Maltais, and Yves Herry

Virtual Learning in Inclusive Education:

Findings about Attitudes and Learning

Brief Study Report

André C. Moreau

Université du Québec en Outaouais Claire Maltais

University of Ottawa Yves Herry

University of Ottawa

Groupe de Recherche en Éducation des Communautés Inclusives au Préscolaire – GRECIP

For information regarding this study and the PVFSEI

(Virtual Training and Support Program in Inclusive Education), contact:

Inclusive Education GRECIP – André C. Moreau Université du Québec en Outaouais 283 Alexandre-Taché Blvd. P.O. Box 1250, Postal Station Hull Gatineau, QC J8X 3X7 Canada Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 1-800-567-1283, ext. 4454 (819) 595-3900, ext. 4454

Fax: (819) 595-4459 To consult or obtain the PVFSEI: GRECIP Département des sciences de l’éducation Université du Québec en Outaouais 283 Alexandre-Taché Blvd P.O. Box 1250, Postal Station Hull Gatineau, QC J8X 3X7 Canada Legal deposit: National Library of Canada Bibliothèque nationale du Québec ISBN - 2-9808330-3-7 © GRECIP – Groupe de recherche en éducation des communautés inclusives au préscolaire Reproduction without express authorization from GRECIP is prohibited.

December 2004

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (Moreau, Maltais, and Herry, 2004)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Le Groupe de Recherche en Education des Communautés Inclusives au Préscolaire

(GRECIP: Research Group on Education for Inclusive Preschool Communities) conducted

this study with financial support from Human Resources Development Canada, under the

Ministry’s Policy of Support to Communities. We wish to extend special thanks to the

individuals who administer the Social Development Partnerships Program for providing

assistance for this study.

We also wish to acknowledge the contribution of Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO)

and in particular the cooperation we received from individuals in management and from staff

in the information technologies department, who supported the carrying out of the project. To

all these individuals, we say thank you.

A project of this kind could not have seen the light or been carried through without

cooperation from organizations that supported our undertaking by trusting us. We especially

with to thank those partners who have been involved right from the start. They are:

Conseil des écoles catholiques de langue française du Centre-Est, Ottawa-Carleton

Services à l’enfance Grandir ensemble, Ontario

L'Association francophone à l'éducation des services à l'enfance de l'Ontario (AFESEO)

Canadian Child Care Federation

Pavillon du Parc: The Rehabilitation Centre for Intellectual Disabilities in the Outaouais

An innovative study of this kind cannot be carried out without the active involvement and

commitment of all its participants, including parents, teachers, and managers. We wish to

thank all these people, as well as those who spread word of the project among members of

their associations and among Canadian preschool umbrella organizations.

Last, we wish to thank all those who contributed at both stages of the project, that is, both the initiation and the realization of the study.

André C. Moreau Project Manager GRECIP Professor and Researcher, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Université du Québec en Outaouais

This study was carried out by:

Le Groupe de recherche en éducation des communautés inclusives au préscolaire - GRÉCIP

André C. Moreau Professor and Researcher, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Université du Québec en Outaouais (Principal Investigator, Project Manager)

Claire Maltais Professor and Researcher, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa

Yves Herry Vice Dean, Research and Professional Development, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa

Those who collaborated on research and on the production of the virtual instructional documents: Linda Gagnon Research Assistant: management and production

Nancy Larouche Research Assistant: management and production

Charles-Ludovic Espérance Copy editing

Rina Kampeas, C.Tr. Translation lab)idéeclic!: http://www.ideeclic.com Electronic publication of the PVFSEI training website and CD-ROM

This study was funded by: Human Resources Development Canada (2001). Social Development Partnerships Program. Project Number: 9573-05-01/064

For information regarding the contents of this publication, or to consult or obtain the PVFSEI virtual program:

Inclusive Education GRECIP Université du Québec en Outaouais 283, Alexandre-Taché Blvd. P.O. Box 1250, Postal Station Hull Gatineau, QC J8X 3X7 Canada Email: [email protected] Telephone: (819) 595-3900, ext: 4454 Fax: (819) 595-4459 Notes: The contents of this publication reflect the authors’ opinions and in no way implicate the funding body. In this text, the use of feminine pronouns to refer to individuals working in preschools reflects the reality of the work setting, where most positions are held by women. The feminine has been used in order to respect this reality. Recommended manner of citing this report: Moreau, A. C., Maltais, C., and Herry, Y. (2004). Virtual Learning in Inclusive Education: Findings about Attitudes and Learning - Brief Study Report. Gatineau, QC: GRECIP, Université du Québec en Outaouais. ISBN - 2-9808330-3-7

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY………………………………………………………………. 1

RECOMMENDATIONS………………………………………………………………… 3

INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………............. 7

THE RESEARCH QUESTION………………………………………………………… 9

1. The Theoretical Context……………………………………………………... 10

2. Literature Review………………………………………………………………. 11

3. Research Objectives………………………………………………………….. 11

4. Innovative Aspects of the Study……………………………………………… 12

METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………………………. 15

1. Protocol………………………………………………………………………..... 15

2. Selection of Questionnaire Respondents and Program Participants…….. 16

3. Data Gathering Methods and Instruments………………………………….. . 17

4. The Programme virtuel de formation et de soutien en éducation inclusive.. 19

FINDINGS AND DATA ANALYSIS…………………………………………………… . 23

1. Portrait of Attitudes and Training Needs……………………………………… 23

2. Short-term Impact of the Training…………………………………………….. 24

3. Evaluations of Learning and the PVFSEI …………………………………… 25

CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………….. 27

REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………….. 29

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (Moreau, Maltais, and Herry, 2004)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The study reported on here aimed on one hand to present a portrait of the attitudes,

representations, and needs of preschool educational communities with respect to the

reception and support given in the preschool setting to children who have special needs, that

is, with respect to inclusive education in preschools. As well, the study looked to promote

inclusive education from the perspective of training and professional development for

individuals involved in French-Canadian preschool communities, that is, for parents,

teachers, and managers in those communities. In order to fulfill this objective, the research

protocol stipulated an assessment of professional-development needs; the development of a

virtual training and support program in inclusive education (called, in French, Programme

virtuel de formation et de soutien en éducation inclusive, or PVFSEI); the implementation of

training; and the assessment of the immediate impact of training on the attitudes,

representations, training needs, and learning of participants, both during training and one

month after (by means of a post test). Every French-Canadian preschool that has an email

address registered in a directory was solicited for responses to two online questionnaires,

one for parents and the other for personnel. Following the mailing to preschools at 598 email

addresses, we received 181 questionnaire responses, 100 from personnel and 81 from

parents. Of all respondents, 46 then took part in the virtual training program in inclusive

education and 40 completed it. The results show, among other things, that, of the 40

participants who completed the program, the 21 preschool employees displayed a more

positive attitude towards the reception and support of children with special needs. These

preschool teachers and managers had the perception that they had attained a greater

degree of preparedness to receive members of this clientele. They reported that they were

more confident and displayed a significant change in attitude. The study also made it

possible to improve the PVFSEI and enrich its training content. The program is now available

at this website: http://w3.uqo.ca/inclusion.

RECOMMENDATIONS 3

RECOMMENDATIONS

This development study targeted relations between the parents and the personnel of

educational service providers that promote the value of inclusion for children with special

needs. It aimed to enhance the quality of interactions between the family and the preschool.

The quality of relationships is affected by the support and development of competencies in

the individuals who interact with the children. The quality of interactions is one of the main

indicators of the successful inclusion of different children and of their successful

development. The greater the degree of difficulty the child manifests, the more the individuals

around the child will be called upon to develop differential know-how to meet her or his

development and learning needs.

The findings of this study have made it possible to formulate recommendations addressed,

on one hand, to the members of preschool communities (parents, teachers, and managers)

and, on the other hand, to the sectors that design educational policies and programs.

• Among preschool communities, there continue to be centres that do not receive or have

never received children with impairment or a handicap. To such communities, we

deem it important to issue a reminder, in light of the numerous studies conducted in

various countries, that one indicator of the quality of an educational service provider is

the diversity of its population: a mix of colours, races, languages, cultures, and abilities.

For preschools that do not receive different children, it is imperative to set up a general

strategy (internal policy, necessary approaches to reception and support) to meet the

service requirements of children with special needs.

• A small number of all questionnaire respondents (comprising parents, teachers, and

managers) said that they have no knowledge of internal policies, financial support, or

training regarding inclusiveness. For such preschool communities, it is imperative that

policies, financial resources, and professional-development resources available in their

region be made known to them. These are the factors that orient and support the

reception of children with special needs.

• Within each group of respondents (that is, parent respondents and preschool-personnel

respondents), about one half reported a representation of preschool service providers as

RECOMMENDATIONS (Moreau, Maltais, and Herry, 2004)

4

achieving inclusiveness with some degree of difficulty. In other words, in about half of the

communities consulted, those involved have representations of the reception of special-

needs children as being difficult to experience or at least to carry out. For managers of preschools, this datum suggests that carrying out a project that advances values tied to

inclusive education is a challenge. Managers will have to take the leadership in meeting

this challenge.

• The majority of the preschool teachers and managers who answered the online

questionnaire considered themselves to be relatively badly prepared in terms of training

to integrate children with special needs. For preschool teachers and managers, it is

essential to put measures for professional development in inclusive education in place

for the reception and support of children with special needs. This is a shared

responsibility: it is individual, requiring personal commitment, and collective, calling on

involvement by parents and teachers as well as managers.

• The results of a trial run of a virtual training and support program in inclusive education,

the PVFSEI, suggest that this kind of program has an immediate effect on attitudes,

representations, and perceived training needs in teachers and managers. This datum

should be of great interest to numerous players in the area of inclusiveness.

- For preschool communities, it is important to note that one of the ways to promote

a change in attitudes and representations regarding inclusive education (that is, the

reception of different children and the provision of support for them) consists of

training activities. For these educational settings, it is essential to promote the setting

up of a training/professional-development activity.

- As regards managers in preschools, it is incumbent upon them to provide

leadership in the development of conditions that favour professional development.

Professional-development activities can take different forms, including virtual

programs. It should be borne in mind that these activities should be adressed to all

the various groups that the community comprises, including parents.

- For those parents, teachers, and managers interested in including different children in their settings, the carrying out of training and professional-development

activities is first and foremost an individual responsibility. Working with children who

RECOMMENDATIONS (Moreau, Maltais, and Herry, 2004)

5

have impairment or a handicap is not an inborn ability. For you – parents, teachers,

and managers –, a responsibility is incumbent on you to display commitment to, and

involvement in, training activities that target your skills in working with such children.

Without your own interest, motivation, and personal involvement, activities of this kind

will have little or no real value. Your participation in these training activities will be an

indicator of your ability to intervene. Generally speaking, it constitutes a warrant of the

quality of services and support given to your children.

- For those bodies responsible for planning funding programs and developing training and professional-development programs, planning for the provision of

financial resources and training and professional development proved to continue to

be among the main measures perceived as facilitating, or being highly useful to, the

inclusion of different children. Overall, in relation to educational policies that promote

the inclusion of special-needs children, the enhancement of the creation of training

and professional-development activities by means of more reliable funding is

essential.

- For educational institutions that design training and professional-development

activities, it is truly necessary to diversify training methods. On this score, the findings

of the present study make it clear that virtual training can have an immediate impact

on attitudes, representations, and learning. Educational institutions should diversify

their training methods in order to reach varied clienteles, including parents, teachers,

and managers, as well as communities in remote regions. Information technology (IT)

tools, including those associated with the Internet, are promising in this regard.

INTRODUCTION

7

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed first of all to draw up a portrait of attitudes and professional-development

needs in Canadian preschool communities as regards reception and support of children with

special needs, that is, as regards inclusive education. Another objective of the study

consisted of designing and testing a virtual program for professional development in inclusive

education. Finally, an assessment of the immediate impact of distance/virtual professional

development on attitudes, training needs, and learning rounded out the study.

The research question was viewed in the broader perspective of enhancing quality in

preschool education service providers. Studies done in the field of the inclusion of children

with difficulties in preschool settings underscore the importance of training for preschool

teachers as a facilitating factor. For example, correlative studies highlight the positive links

between preschools that receive children with impairment or a handicap and personnel

having specialized training and a feeling of competency. These studies suggest that for

personnel, there is a positive correlation between specific training focused on the inclusion of

children with special needs and on their development, and high levels of feelings of

competency to receive these children and work with them. Many studies reveal the

importance of supporting professional development for personnel to ensure the quality of

services and promote the harmonious integration of children with special needs.

In this context, the present study aimed to derive benefits from recent information and

communications technologies (ITCs). The main approach was to use Internet-based tools to

provide support and professional development in inclusive education to preschool

educational communities. The project brought data on perceptions and training needs in

inclusive education up to date; developed a program of virtual training and support for

inclusive education (entitled Programme virtuel de formation et de soutien en éducation

inclusive, or PVFSEI); and validated and assessed the program within preschool educational

communities.

QUESTION (Moreau, Maltais, and Herry, 2004)

9

THE RESEARCH QUESTION

This study was based on the premise that appropriate educational activities will quickly elicit

from children with special learning needs attitudes, behaviours, and manifestations that are

positive for adjustment; and that these in turn will serve as indices of success for the adults

involved. Interaction among the following factors creates a dynamic of success: an

appropriate environment, learning, and the adults’ perceptions. Improving educational

interactions was the goal of the study.

With a view to affirming learning and inclusion in preschool settings, it is urgently necessary

to assess educational practices and strategies and offer fresh posibilities for professional

development to those who are directly involved with children with special needs. Attention to

three key sets of factors guided the researchers’ actions: (a) factors linked to the

improvement of the learning and inclusion of special-needs children; (b) factors linked to the

importance of developing and disseminating new knowledge; and (c) factors linked to the

urgent need to offer fresh possibilities for professional development to all the groups of

people working with these children: parents and the teachers and managers of service

providers.

One objective of Human Resources Development Canada among others in its call for

submissions1 was to assess and disseminate effective practices in educational settings in

order to meet the needs of such target groups as children, families, and handicapped people

as regards social development. In the same spirit, parents and families are at the heart of our

study. Our general question was as follows:

What are the educational practices related to inclusiveness (in the form of representations, attitudes, and strategies) of people who work with children with special needs, and how can they be enhanced in such a way as to promote and affirm inclusive education in preschool settings in Canada?

In our study, this key question was posed:

1 Human Resources Development Canada, 2001, Social Development Partnerships Program.


10

What are participants’ representations and attitudes to the integration of special-needs children into preschool before and after participatıon in a virtual training program?

1. The Theoretical Context

The theoretical bases of this study rest on four main concepts. First, the ecosystemic

approach offers a theoretical construct that makes it possible to understand children’s

development in interaction with their lives (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Bronfenbrenner and

Morris, 1998; Rocque, 1999). These dimensions are especially important for children with

impairment or a handicap, that is. “different children”. Essentially, children develop in

interaction with their settings: their family setting, their preschool setting, their schools, and

so on. Study of child-life-setting interactions makes it possible to describe and understand

how a child develops and builds competencies. The ecosystemic approach helps identify the

main parameters that promote the child's learning and development. This approach also

allows for an identification of the theoretical principles that guide educational action.

A second dimension is tied to the concepts of representations and attitudes, identified as

indicators of targeted change. Adult representations and attitudes about the integration of

different children constitute powerful indicators for grasping the change that is taking place

during a process of inclusion (Garnier and Doise, 2002; Rao, 2004). This study aimed to

describe these changes in representations and attitudes during virtual training in inclusive

education offered to adult learners.

In an inclusive educational setting, the adults who interact with the child develop interactions

that allow them to help each other and provide mutual support within their educational

practice, that is, to build an educational community. This reseach study is addressed to the

parents, teachers, and managers of inclusive educational communities. The concept of an

"educational community" describes the educational settings targeted by this study very well.

In our study, adults were viewed as individuals in a learning process, that is, as learners

(Knowles, 1990; St-Arnaud, 2003).

Last, the innovative aspect of this study resides in the development of a virtual, non-credit

professional development training program in inclusive education. New ICTs, in particular

Internet-based tools, offer favourable conditions for research on the concept of online


11

learning (Anderson and Elloumi, 2004; Garrison and Anderson, 2003; Henri and Basque,

2003; Rossett, 2002; Trentin, 2002; Viens, 2000). The study concerned itself with facilities for

online learning, especially the primary dimension, namely the content of online learning, as

an innovative means of supporting professional development within inclusive educational

communities.

2. Literature Review

The research literature that we reviewed deals with factors that are either favourable or an

obstacle to inclusiveness in preschool settings. Our own study mainly highlights the

importance of preservice education and professional development for teachers’ attitudes

towards inclusion. Research on the subject tends to suggest that teachers who have

received preservice technical education and professional development that incorporate

activities on special-needs children with special needs and on inclusion display a positive

attitude towards both (Bochner et al., 1990; Denholm, 1990; Franky and McKay, 1990;

Gemmell-Crosby and Hanzlik, 1994; Gettinger, Stoiber, Getz, and Caspe, 1999; Irwin et al.,

2001). Other correlations bring out the importance of high educational levels for preschool

educators. The children’s characteristics, managers’ leadership, and a collaborative

relationship with parents are the main aspects brought out as being important in promoting

inclusion.

3. Research Objectives

The goal of this study was to promote and favour the development of inclusive education

through a virtual professional-development and support program for parents, teachers, and

managers of preschool educational communities.

More specifically, the study had the following objectives:

(1) To describe the attitudes and perceived professional-development needs related to

inclusive education in preschool communities.

(2) To develop and test a virtual training and support program for inclusive education,

which we called Programme virtuel de formation et de soutien en éducation inclusive,

or PVFSEI, for parents, teachers, and managers of preschools and kindergartens

interested in the inclusion of children with special needs.


12

(3) Last, to collect participants’ evaluations: to evaluate PVFSEI participants’ attitudes

and training needs with regard to inclusive education one month after having taken

the training program.

4. Innovative Aspects of the Study

Studies conducted in the field of early childhood, especially those that address children with

special needs, emphasize the influence of teachers’ attitudes on the quality of relations and

on the successfulness of the inclusion of such children in their setting. Some of these studies

highlight the importance of preservice education and professional development for the quality

of relations between personnel and children and for success in the inclusion of different

children. Our study represents an innovation in that it helps specify the nature of

professional-development needs among personnel in preschools that receive children with

special needs.

Another innovative aspect of this study is that it targeted whole communities of those close to

children with special needs. The components of the study were addressed specifically to

teachers, managers, and parents, that is, to the whole of the educational communities. This

fact of targeting all the communities’ constituent groups obliges the teachers and managers

of educational service providers to collaborate with parents.

The development of a virtual program of professional development and support in inclusive

education is in itself a major contribution. The exploitation of new ICTs by devising distance

learning models constitutes an innovative contribution in the fields of early childhood and

inclusive education. This strategy for learning about inclusive education aims mainly to reach

people in diverse settings, working in locations and at times that are different from those of

the educators. This strategy allows, among other things, for communities in diverse regions

of the country to access information and professional-development support related to

inclusive-education practices.


13

New knowledge on the impact of a distance professional-development program in inclusive

education opens up an avenue of research for the future as regards support to communities

in diverse isolated regions.

By reason of the modest funding available, the study sought to reach only French-language

Canadian communities. Our goal was to respond to repeated demands from these

communities for support in the form of information and training on inclusive education in

preschool settings.

METHODOLOGY (Moreau, Maltais, and Herry, 2004)

15

METHODOLOGY

The study comprised the following components: the protocol, selection methods for

questionnaire respondents and training program participants, methods for data gathering and

instruments, and the PVFSEI.

1. Protocol

This study was of a mixed type: qualitative and quantitative.

A survey was first conducted among people working at Canadian preschools with Internet

access. Through this survey, we learned of respondents’ representations, attitudes, and

perceived professional-development needs in inclusive education.

The next stage was to conduct the virtual inclusive education training among volunteers who

had expressed interest in it. In following the training program, participants kept a journal and

filled out an evaluation questionnaire on its content and virtual nature. This constituted

qualitative data.

Finally, one month after the training had been given, data gathering was conducted among

participants who had completed the program. The purpose was to obtain an index of

participants’ attitudes and representations regarding inclusive education and an evaluation of

their involvement in the training.

Controlled variables were language (French), sex, region of Canada, nature of link to

preschool (whether a parent, teacher, or manager), computer use (for access by email),

educational level, and written agreement to participate (because of ethical considerations).

The measures of attitudes and representations regarding the inclusion of children with

special needs were viewed as dependent variables, while the PVFSEI constituted the

independent variable. The qualitative data consisted of comments and evaluations under

headings discussed during training, namely the relevance of the training content, evaluations

of the virtual method and of program techniques, and expectations about training content.

METHODOLOGY (Moreau, Maltais, and Herry, 2004) 16

2. Selection of Questionnaire Respondents and Program Participants

The selection of respondents to the questionnaire and participants in the training program

was conducted in successive stages. One method was used for the selection of respondents

to the survey of Canadian preschool communities;: another was used to select participants in

the virtual training program in inclusive education.

• Respondents to the online questionnaires

In all, as of 30 April 2003, 181 individuals had answered the online questionnaires; of these,

100 were preschool teachers and managers and 81 were parents. Their geographic

distribution was as follows: 1 teacher and 6 parents from Western Canada; 7 teachers and

managers and 7 parents from the Atlantic Provinces; 12 teachers and managers and 12

parents from Ontario; and 81 teachers and managers and 74 parents from Quebec. Table 1

below presents respondents’ characteristics.

Table 1: Characteristics of Respondents to the Online Questionnaire

• Participants in the virtual training program

Of the 181 respondents to the online questionnaire, 103 expressed an interest in taking part

in the distance training. Of this number, 71 were reached by phone. During the telephone

interview, 64 reaffirmed their willingness to take part in the PVFSEI and a participation

agreement was filled out. At the end of this stage, 46 interested individuals had filled in the

research protocol. The 18 withdrawals recorded were explained as follows: lack of time to

Distribution Characteristics of Respondents Number

Personnel Parents

Geographic origin - Total

Provinces and territories of Western Canada Atlantic Provinces Ontario

Quebec

100

1 7

12 81

81

6 7

12 74

Educational level

High school Junior/Community college University –undergraduate University –master’s or doctoral

7 56 33 4

18 41 28 14


take the training and technical problems. Table 2 below presents participants’ geographic

origin by the country’s three major regions: provinces and territories of Western Canada,

Atlantic provinces, and central provinces (Ontario and Quebec).

Table 2: Number of Participants in the PVFSEI by Major Region

Groups Participants’ Characteristics Parents Personnel

Participants’ Geographic origin - Total Provinces and territories of Western Canada Three Atlantic provinces Ontario Quebec

34

0 1 3

30

12

0 1 2

10

3. Data Gathering Methods and Instruments

Data gathering was conducted using three methods: (1) online survey questionnaire on

attitudes, representations, and training needs in inclusive education; (2) ongoing assessment

by means of a journal, for purposes of validating the virtual training program content and

evaluating the program; (3) telephone interview to assess the immediate impact of the

training and participant satisfaction.

3.1 The online questionnaire

The online questionnaire was used to reach preschool communities with access to the

Internet. Krathwohl (1998, p. 351-383) and Stufflebeam, Madaus and Kellaghan (2001) were

used as guides to the drawing up of the questionnaire. The questionnaires themselves were

based on instruments used by Daniels and Vaughn (1989) and those used in the study by

Boudreault and Moreau (2002). Two questionnaires were drawn up, one for parents (Q1) and

the other for preschool personnel (teachers and managers, Q2).

Preparation of the questionnaires entailed activities reflecting methodological

considerations: What should be asked? How should it be asked? What order should the

questions be presented in? How should the questionnaires be formated? How should they be

tested? Moreover, the methodology for the online questionnaires went through four activity


phases: (a) preparation; (b) electronic publishing and creation of web tools; (c) data entry; (d)

processing. In describing these activities, we will present the what, the why, the how (in the

sense of steps followed and tasks performed), the who (people involved in the execution),

and the when (i.e., the timeline).

The first group of questions was concerned to elicit information about the respondent and the

preschool setting. The elements included were: numbers of years’ experience (Q2-1);

province or territory of origin (Q1 –1; Q2-2); kind of preschool (Q2-3a and 3b); educational

level (Q1-2; Q2-4); child attending preschool (Q1-3); nature of the child’s special needs (Q1-4a

and 4b); reason for attending a preschool (Q1-4c; Q1-4d); and, last, reception of children with

special needs (Q2-13a and 13b). The second group of questions dealt with attitudes towards

inclusion of children in the preschool setting; they covered these elements: the setting’s level

of ease of integration (Q1-6; Q2-7); the setting’s level of preparedness for inclusion (Q17a and

7b); the kinds of clienteles easily included or not easily included (Q2-8 and 9); and, last, the

personnel’s level of preparedness for the clientele (Q2-10, 11a-b, 12a-b). The third group of

questions concerned representations and conceptions held by respondents about the

inclusion of special-needs children. They dealt with these elements: government aid and

inclusiveness policy (Q1-5; Q2-5abc and Q2-6); factors that promote success and factors that

conduce the most to inclusiveness or that limit it (Q1-8abc, 9abc, 10ab; Q2-14abc, 15ab,

16abc, 17ab). The fourth group of questions addressed training needs; these were the

elements covered: concepts (i.e., training components) that would be the most and least

useful for inclusiveness (Q1-11abc, 12ab, 13abc, and 14ab, as well as Q2-18abc and 19ab);

and names of organizations that had tried including children with special needs (Q1-15ab; Q2-

20ab). The last group of questions addressed the respondent’s interest in taking part in a

distance training program. This consisted of an agreement to take part and the respondent’s

details (Q1-16abcdef; Q2-21abcdef).

3.2 Evaluating the PVFSEI: Journaling

Participants’ journaling was the tool used to collect their comments and qualitative evaluation

of the learning process and the program. The journal consisted of two sections: (a) the first

recorded learning activities and an evaluation of the program content; (b) the second dealt

with a general evaluation of the program as regarded the practical relevance of the training

content and the program’s virtual and technical methods.


3.3 Telephone interviews: the telephone questionnaire

The telephone interview served as an efficient tool for reaching participants one month after

their training (Krathwohl, 1998). The telephone questionnaires, one of which was designed

for parents and the other for preschool teachers and managers, consisted of abbreviated

versions of the online questionnaires. They made it possible to obtain of an index of attitudes

and representations about inclusive education and an overall evaluation of the training

process.

4. The Programme virtuel de formation et de soutien en éducation inclusive

Inclusive education in preschool communities is at the heart of this project. Our aim in the

design of the Programme virtuel de formation et de soutien en éducation inclusive was to

support preschool parents, teachers, and managers who wished to enhance their

competency in doing educational work with children with special needs. The development of

a distance training program required that we plan a set of components, including an

approach to virtual self–learning, objectives, themes, scenario writing, the learning scenario,

materials, and online tools.

4.1 Themes

The PVFSEI comprises six themes that deal with diverse aspects of the matter of different

children and the development of an inclusive educational approach in preschool settings.

The themes developed were: reception; initial information; inclusive education in a preschool

setting; the reception given to the different child; joint planning; action strategies; and

networks of support, collaboration, and mutual dependence.

4.2 Program objectives

o The goal of the virtual space was to provide information and self-learning tools for

individuals interested in inclusive education. This learning space brought together

information and tools to facilitate work, reflection, and further research towards a

process of integrating children with special needs and, more broadly, towards the

elicitation of the development of an inclusive educational approach. Besides informing

and stimulating practical competencies, the virtual space aimed to increase awareness

of inclusive education and promote it.


4.3 Scenario-making for the program

As a process, scenario-making refers to different forms of planning: planning the structure

and organization of information and planning the content and tools that constitute your

program. Our use of ICTs entailed considerations specific to these media. In short, scenario-

making for the program consisted of a process of choice and adjustment of information,

according to the parameters set by the project objectives. To help readers understand this

design process, we present below the parameters of scenario-making for the self-learning

platform:

o Educational: Nature of the content associated with the microsystems being developed,

including functional relations between individuals and competencies to promote in

individuals.

o Functional: Organization of content that facilitates the setting up of inclusive education.

o Pedagogical: Diversity of learning strategies.

o Self-learning: The user is the only person to plan and manage the different aspects of

her training (objectives, time, place, motivation, self-evaluation), in contrast to the

traditional approach.

o Informative and practical: Content related to practical information and forms of

knowledge (knowledge, interpersonal skills, and know-how about inclusive educational

practices in a preschool setting).

o Accessibility: The media used make it possible to reach a broad public, whether with or

without Internet access.

o Diversity of target groups: parents, teachers, managers.

o User friendliness of the online program.

4.4 Navigating

The program’s navigational structure has three levels: group membership, broken into


sections; headings; and lists of headings that can reflect three levels of titles and subtitles.

The structure is the same from one section to another and from one heading to another. The

three sections are: Parents, Teachers, Managers. To enter the program, the learner chooses

the icon that corresponds to her section. By clicking on her group’s icon, she calls up the

introductory page. She then continues the learning process by choosing one of the headings

in the main menu. On each page, the upper portion of the screen displays links to program

tools: bibliography, site map, help, home, glossary, and main menu bar. The main menu bar

features the three sections and five headings.

Headings break down into three levels: main title, second level, third level. The learner can

navigate from one title or subtitle to another and is at liberty to go back within the secondary

menu.

The program can be accessed on the Web (w3.uqo.ca/inclusion) or on CD-ROM. It is

configured for support by both Windows and Mac. The equipment requirements are: a CD-

ROM drive or Internet access; a basic word processing program; a sound card; Adobe

Acrobat Reader; and email or a printer. Using the Internet opens up the possibility of

benefiting from a very broad range of communications and distance learning strategies. For

the reasons specified above, the choice of virtual tools was dictated mainly by the concern to

maximize accessibility, enhance ease of use, and remain within the limits of a modest

production budget. The program prioritized basic Internet functions: text production in Web

format, information tools, hypertext links, online and printed questionnaires, schemas, and

email addresses.

FINDINGS (Moreau, Maltais, and Herry, 2004)

23

FINDINGS AND DATA ANALYSIS

This presentation of findings reflects the fact that our research activities had two main

dimensions. The first yielded a portrait of representations, attitudes, and training needs

regarding the inclusion of special-needs children in Canadian preschools. The second

consisted of the development and testing of the PVFSEI, a virtual training program in

inclusive education. It was following testing of the program that the training activities

themselves were carried out. These activities made it possible to obtain a before and after

assessment of the short-term impact of the virtual training program. As well, qualitative data

were collected during the training process, with a view to evaluating the learning that had

been begun and obtaining comments about the program. The comments in question

suggested improvements to the program.

Below, we summarize our data analysis of the portrait of preschool communities as regards

inclusion, of the immediate impact of the PVFSEI, and of the evaluations of learning begun

under the PVFSEI.

1. Portrait of Attitudes and Training Needs

Data analysis regarding attitudes suggests that the two groups of participants (parents and

personnel) display differing attitudes around inclusiveness in a preschool setting. Parents

have a positive attitude, especially when expressing their views of the personnel’s degree of

preparedness for including special-needs children. This positive tone changes when they

express their opinions on the degree of ease with which the preschool effects inclusiveness.

One half of respondents say that the preschools effect inclusion with some degree of

difficulty and the other half with some degree of ease. For their part, preschool teachers and

managers display a more negative attitude in expressing their opinions on level of readiness.

They say they are relatively unprepared (in terms of training) to integrate special-needs

children. They lack preparation especially for meeting the needs of multihandicapped

children, children with developmental disorders, and children with behavioural disorders.


24

These data are in line with the findings of previous studies on the attitudes of parents and

personnel in preschools (Stoiber and coll., 1998; Boudreault and Moreau, 2000). Boudreault

and Moreau (2002) observed that parents expressed a more positive attitude than partners

within the preschool setting. Our study specifies the nature of this attitude as regards

teachers’ and managers’ preparedness in terms of training. Respondents describe levels of

preparation for inclusion that vary considerably, depending on the clientele to be integrated.

This information can provide indications of the kind of support and training the personnel

needs.

The two groups were requested to make a choice of two information or training themes that

they considered to be the most useful for successful inclusiveness. The choices were made

from preset lists. The choices of the two groups were similar. The themes identified as most

useful were the development of the relationship between the teacher and the child and the

development of the relationship between special-needs children and other children. The

characteristics and needs of different children, kinds of activities, and the children’s

development/learning styles were other themes identified as perceived training needs in

inclusive education. This information foregrounds training on the relationships between the

two groups involved in inclusion, the children and the adults. It prompts us to integrate a

chapter into the virtual program on the theme of how to enhance social interactions. The

study component that investigated training needs in inclusive education in preschool

communities constitutes an innovative aspect of our project. None of the studies surveyed in

the literature review evaluated this dimension.

2. Short-term Impact of the Training

Sufficient data were gathered to allow for an assessment of the effects of the virtual training,

one month following the training activity, on teachers’ and managers’ attitudes and

representations. Analysis of means obtained from paired T-test results suggest that it is

easier for teachers and managers to carry out inclusion of special-needs children after

receiving the training in inclusive education. The gap between pre- and post-training results

is significant. The analysis also indicates that participants perceived themselves as having a

higher degree of preparedness to receive a child with special needs in their preschool one

month after having taken the virtual training on inclusive education. The gap between pre-

training and post-training data is significant. Last, comparison of training needs as expressed


25

before and after training suggests that the needs changed in a significant way: participants

expressed a greater variety of training needs following the training activity.

This information is still more relevant to people interested in the immediate impact of virtual

training in inclusive education. Our analyses suggest that the virtual training offered to

preschool teachers and managers promotes a change in participants’ attitudes. Briefly put,

after taking the training, participants perceive carrying out inclusion of a special- needs child

as easier. As well, after having taken the virtual training, these participants express a sense

of having a higher level of preparedness for receiving a special-needs child in their

preschool. These data tend to confirm that the virtual training in inclusive education

influences participants’ attitudes in the short term.

Last, the findings on training needs as perceived before and after the training program

suggest that perceived needs changed. Training appears to have met needs; but following

training, participants developed new, more diverse needs

3. Evaluations of Learning and the PVFSEI

For the most part, participants responded under all headings or at least made comments on

all four available headings. As regards overall evaluation of the program, participants most

often identified “Intervention Plan”, “Introduction: The Different Child”, and “Reception of the

Child” as the most interesting and useful headings. It would appear that the inclusion of a

“usefulness” dimension made it possible for participants to narrow down to identify specific

components such as “Intervention Plan”. In providing their overall assessments, participants

made comments expressing a positive attitude: their comments reflected approval or

satisfaction with respect to the program content. Some comments were specifically linked to

the learning aspect: the training received was viewed as a sensitization process, a refresher

of prior knowledge, or an exercise promoting independence, examination, and reflection on

the roles involved in an inclusive-education approach or on its implications. Some comments

took a prescriptive approach to the PVFSEI, suggesting its use in other contexts or by other

individuals known to the participant. In short, analysis suggests that the learning achieved

was of an exploratory and awareness-raising kind. The research context did not allow for an

investigation in greater depth about collaborative or reflective learning. These data are new

and prompt further research in this field.


26

To summarize the evaluations and general comments on the training program, participants

made comments of an affective kind that generally conveyed approval. Other statements

related principally to their learning process. On one hand, several units were linked to the

process of exploring information or to the learning achieved. A small number of units

prompted suggestions for improving the program or the training process or consisted of

reflections on possible uses of the program within the participants’ own setting

The data presented in this report are representative of what we received from respondents to

the online questionnaire and participants in the training program. Generalizing from these

data would only be possible if certain processes of a methodological nature were enhanced

in future studies. That is to say, the limits of this study are of a methodological nature.

CONCLUSION (Moreau, Maltais, and Herry, 2004)

27

CONCLUSION

A question often asked is how to provide support and training and professional-development

opportunities to preschool educational communities in regions distant from educational centres

such as colleges and universities. The approaches offered by new ICTs, including Internet-

based tools, would appear to be a promising way to meet the need reflected in that question.

Our study yields new data about perceived training and professional-development needs.

Among the 181 respondents to the online questionnaire (which comprised 100 preschool

teachers and managers and 81 parents), it was parents who displayed the more positive attitude

to inclusion. Parents expressed a more positive attitude about the preparedness, in terms of

training, of the personnel who would be responsible for inclusion. In contrast, the portrait of

attitudes among parents, teachers, and managers with respect to preschools’ ease in carrying

out inclusion tended to be the same. Teachers and managers acknowledged that it would be

somewhat difficult to carry out inclusion. They considered themselves somewhat unprepared, in

terms of training, to integrate special-needs children.

Parents, teachers, and managers agreed on the main training themes that would be most useful:

(a) development of relations between teacher and child; (b) the child’s development and learning

style; and (c) the implementation of inclusive education (25). Last, approximately one half (or a

little more) or teachers and managers (51%) specified that they had not received support for

training. These findings have made it possible to target specific content to incorporate into the

program.

Besides providing a portrait of inclusive education, this report provides an account of the

carrying out of a virtual program of training and support for inclusive education and of the impact

of the training activities. Statistical analysis of the data from the paired T-tests, before and after

training, shows a difference of 0.5 between means and a standard deviation of 0.7 (t-3.3 and p-

0.003). In short, these results suggest that it is easier for preschool teachers and managers to

carry out the inclusion of special needs children after having followed the virtual training

program. We also wanted to know about changes in the personnel’s representations regarding

preparedness to received and support this clientele. Analysis of the data reveals that, following

training, participants perceived themselves as having a significantly higher level of preparedness

CONCLUSION (Moreau, Maltais, and Herry, 2004)

28

to receive a special-needs child. Our undertaking also aimed to assess changes in perceived

training needs. Analysis showed that, following training, participants expressed very different,

highly diversified needs. Certain kinds of training content were repeatedly mentioned as

essential, and most participants named several others besides.

The process was also aimed to obtain evaluations of learning and the virtual training activities.

The qualitative data collected on this score were largely of an affective or cognitive nature.

Analysis suggested that the majority of preschool personnel participants expressed approval or

satisfaction regarding the various elements of training content. Participants’ comments were

associated with external cognitive processes of locating, exploring, or identifying meanings.

Some of the data deal with internal processes, such as evocation and transference. Comments

were few and in some cases altogether absent; they related to integrative, reflective, and

collaborative activities. (CELA FAIT BIZARRE DE LIRE SUBITEMENT QUE LES

COMMENTAIRES ETAIENT PEU OU AUCUN DANS CERTAINS CAS – NE SERAIT-IL PAS

PLUS LOGIQUE DE PLACER CETTE OBSERVATION PLUS HAUT DANS LE

PARAGRAPHE?) These learning processes reveal that the training activities tended mainly to

inform and sensitize. Last, evaluation comments on the virtual training program allowed us to

make some improvements. Among other changes to the most recent edition of the program is

the addition of two new headings.

This development study included an innovative component in the form of the creation and

validation of the virtual training program. The data about impact on perceptions, perceived

needs, and learning achieved open up a whole new avenue for research in the field. Further

studies of this kind will have to be conducted to verify whether this form of training can be

generalized and to assess its short-term and long-term impact. This study placed at learners’

disposal a virtual environment designed to prioritize assessment of the relationship between the

learner and the virtual content. Other virtual learning measures could be explored, for example,

measures to assess collaborative relations among learners or the support relationship between

learners and the learning mediator. Studies on virtual learning environments have stressed the

importance of creating this kind of space to raise the levels of such complex competencies as

collaboration, reflection, group objectivization, and transference.

REFERENCES (Moreau, Maltais, and Herry, 2004)

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André C. Moreau Claire Maltais Yves Herry

Virtual Learning in Inclusive Education

Groupe de Recherche en Éducation des Communautés Inclusives au Préscolaire – GRECIP (2004)

Inclusive Education

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