Three Inclusion Barriers: An Examination of Elementary Music Teachers’ Preparation to Teach Learners With Exceptionalities

Abstract

Elementary music teachers are expected to teach students with a wide range of abilities and music education programs must help prepare them for the tasks ahead. Adamek and Darrow presented three inclusion barriers—organizational, knowledge, and attitudinal—that music educators might face when teaching students with special needs. The purpose of this study was to examine elementary music teachers’ perceptions of their preparation to teach students with exceptionalities using Adamek and Darrow’s Three Inclusion Barriers as a framework. Findings revealed that elementary music teachers (N = 87) may have been in greatest need of inclusion knowledge (i.e., disability, legislative, and interprofessional knowledge), despite their desire to have more music content-specific preparation for organizational strategies. Teachers’ ratings of attitude statements were significantly higher than their ratings of their preparation; however, their short-answer responses revealed a wide range of feelings and attitudes toward teaching in inclusive settings. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.