THEME 1: Inclusive teacher education for a more equitable future

Project Leads: Pearl Subban and Umesh Sharma

Overview

Preparation of teachers to teach in inclusive classrooms is a significant challenge worldwide. Through global collaborations, we investigate the challenges educators face in implementing inclusive practices and explore innovative solutions to enhance teacher preparation. By working closely with educators, policymakers, families, students, and university colleagues, our research is grounded in real-world needs and aims to inform policies and practices that make inclusive education a reality.

Our work focuses on developing evidence-based strategies, resources, and professional learning approaches that equip teachers with the skills and confidence to support students with diverse abilities. By leading research in inclusive teacher education, CITED is driving change to ensure every learner has access to high-quality, inclusive education.

Publications and conference presentations

2021

• Sharma, U., Sokal, L., Wang, M. & Loreman, T. (2021). Measuring the use of inclusive practices among pre-service educators: a multinational study. Teacher and Teaching Education.
• Sharma, U., Grové, C., Laletas, S., Rangarajan, R., & Finkelstein, S. (2021). Bridging gaps between theory and practice of inclusion through an innovative partnership between university academics and school educators in Australia. International Journal of Inclusive Education.
• Fox, R., Sharma, U., Leif, E., Stocker, K., & Moore, D. (2021). ‘Not Enough Time’: Identifying Victorian Teachers’ Perceptions of the Facilitators and Barriers to Supporting Improved Student Behaviour. Australasian Journal of Special and Inclusive Education, 1-16.
• Paramita, P., Sharma, U., Anderson, A. & Laletas, S. (2021) Factors influencing Indonesian teachers’ use of proactive classroom management strategies, International Journal of Inclusive Education.
• Fox, R. A., Sharma, U., & Leif, E. S. (2021). The factors that count: predicting implementation fidelity of evidence-based behavioural supports in Australian schools. International Journal of Inclusive Education.

2022

• Fox, R., Sharma, U., & Leif, E. (2022). A study of Victorian teachers’ beliefs about student behaviour and their perception of preparation and confidence to engage in evidence-based behaviour support. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 47(1), 14-29.
• Fox, R. A., Leif, E. S., Moore, D. W., Furlonger, B., Anderson, A., & Sharma, U. (2022). A systematic review of the facilitators and barriers to the sustained implementation of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports. Education and Treatment of Children, 45(1), 105-126.
• Wray, E., Sharma, U., & Subban, P. (2022). Factors influencing teacher self-efficacy for inclusive education: a systematic literature review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 117, [103800].
• Sokal, L., & Sharma, U. (2022). How effective is online pre-service teacher education for inclusion when compared to face-to-face delivery? International Journal of Inclusive Education.
• Subban, P., Woodcock, S., Sharma, U., & May, F. (2022). Student experiences of inclusive education in secondary schools: a systematic review of the literature. Teaching and Teacher Education, 119, [103853].
• Laletas, S., Grove, C., Sharma, U., OToole, T., & Kaukko, M. (2022). Breaking down the walls of the ‘Ivory Tower’: critical reflections on how co-teaching partnerships can bridge the gap between inclusive education theory and practice. Teachers and teaching: theory and practice, 28(4), 475-495.

2023

• Aiello, P., Pace, E. M., Sharma, U., Rangarajan, R., Sokal, L., May, F., Gonzalez Gil, F., Loreman, T., Malak, S., Martín, E., McIlroy, A. M., & Schwab, S. (Accepted/In press). Identifying teachers’ strengths to face COVID-19: narratives from across the globe. Cambridge Journal of Education.
• Lozano, C. S., Wüthrich, S., Baumli, N., Sharma, U., Loreman, T., & Forlin, C. (2023). Development and validation of a short form of the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices Scale (TEIP-SF). Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 23(4), 375-388.
• Rangarajan, R., Grove, C., Sharma, U., & Odier-Guedj, D. (2023). A tapestry of multiple perspectives: contextualising inclusive education through the study of a rural government school in Uttarakhand, India. International Journal of Educational Research, 119, [102160].
• Chow, W.S.E.,  de Bruin, K. &  Sharma, U. (2023) A scoping review of perceived support needs of teachers for implementing inclusive education, International Journal of Inclusive Education.
• Laranjeira, M., Teixeira, M.O.,  Roberto, M.F.  & Sharma, U. (2023) Measuring teachers’ attitudes and intentions towards inclusion: Portuguese validation of Attitudes to Inclusion Scale (AIS) and Intention to Teach in Inclusive Classroom Scale (ITICS), European Journal of Special Needs Education, 38:3, 408-423.
• Allen, K-A., Boyle, C., Sharma, U., Patlamazoglou, L., et.al. (2023). Belonging as a core construct at the heart of the inclusion debate, discourse, and practice. In C. Boyle, & K-A. Allen (Eds.), Research for Inclusive Quality Education: Leveraging Belonging, Inclusion, and Equity (1st ed., pp. 271-288). (Sustainable Development Goals Series). Springer.
• Sharma, U., & Subban, P. (2023). Utilising a global social justice lens to explore indicators of inclusive educators. International Encyclopedia of Education. Fourth Edition, p. 104-114.
• Leif, E. S., Fox, R. A., Subban, P., &Sharma, U. (2023). Editorial for the special issue: ‘positive behaviour support: moving toward a human rights based model of support’. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 69(1), 1-4.
• Leif, E. S., Fox, R. A., Subban, P., & Sharma, U. (2023). ‘Stakeholders are almost always resistant’: Australian behaviour support practitioners’ perceptions of the barriers and enablers to reducing restrictive practices. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 69(1), 66-82.
• Bradford, B., Loreman, T., & Sharma, U. (2023). Principles of inclusive practice in schools: what is COVID-19 teaching us? In R. J. Tierney, F. Rizvi, & K. Erkican (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of Education (4th ed., Vol. 9, pp. 115-125). Springer.

2024

• Paramita, P. P., Sharma, U., Anderson, A., & Laletas, S. (2024). Factors influencing Indonesian teachers’ use of proactive classroom management strategies. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 28(1), 38-56.
• Leif, E. S., Subban, P., Sharma, U., & Fox, R. (2024). “I look at their rights first”: strategies used by Australian behaviour support practitioners’ to protect and uphold the rights of people with disabilities. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 8, 17-34.

2025

• Sokal, L., Sharma, U., & Eblie Trudel, L. (2025). Canadian educators' post-pandemic recovery and students’ unmet needs: Who is left behind? Teaching and Teacher Education, 154, 104873.
• Zaman, R. A., Sharma, U., & Round, P. (2025). Who is in? Who is out? Exploring primary school students’ sense of belonging using Photovoice. International Journal of Educational Research, 130, 102545.