Umami: Researchers at Nagaland University have developed and pilot-tested a 50-item assessment tool to measure how well prospective teachers understand inclusive education, an initiative that could help strengthen teacher preparation and promote more inclusive classrooms.
The assessment tool is designed to identify gaps in the knowledge of teachers-in-training and help teacher education institutions improve their programmes, particularly in preparing educators to teach children with diverse learning needs.
The research assumes significance in the context of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasises inclusive education and calls for classrooms where children, irrespective of their abilities and backgrounds, can learn together.
The study, published in the International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, was co-authored by Aseto Iralu Meyase, a research scholar, and Professor Gyanendra Nath Tiwari of the Department of Teacher Education at Nagaland University.
The researchers identified a gap in existing methods of assessing teacher preparedness for inclusive education. While many available assessment tools focus on teachers’ attitudes and confidence in handling diverse classrooms, relatively few measure their actual understanding of the concepts, policies and practices associated with inclusive education.
The newly developed tool seeks to address this gap by assessing prospective teachers’ knowledge and ability to apply it in different educational situations. It could help institutions identify areas where trainees need additional instruction, practical exposure or academic support.
Nagaland University Vice-Chancellor Professor Jagadish K Patnaik welcomed the research, describing inclusive education as fundamental to ensuring equitable, accessible and quality learning opportunities for every student.
He said the study addresses an important gap in teacher preparation and offers scope for strengthening B.Ed. programmes, particularly in Nagaland and the Northeast.
Patnaik expressed hope that the research would contribute to improving teacher education, promoting inclusive classroom practices and advancing the objectives of NEP 2020. He also reiterated the university’s commitment to supporting research that addresses societal needs.
The assessment tool was developed around Nagaland University’s B.Ed. Course-10, titled ‘Creating an Inclusive School’. It covers five broad areas, including special needs, educational policies and provisions, inclusive classroom practices, support networks and related concepts.
The questions are designed to assess different levels of cognitive ability, ranging from basic recall and understanding to the application, analysis and evaluation of knowledge.
Explaining the development process, Professor Tiwari said the researchers initially prepared 60 questions, which were reviewed before being administered to 42 M.Ed. students at the university’s Kohima campus.
The researchers subsequently analysed the questions based on their difficulty levels, ability to distinguish between stronger and weaker performers, and overall consistency of the assessment.
Following the analysis, 10 questions that did not perform satisfactorily were removed, leaving a final set of 50 items.
Research scholar Meyase said the internal consistency of the assessment, measured using Cronbach’s alpha, improved from 0.641 to 0.727 after the revision.
The improvement indicates greater reliability in the final version of the test, although the researchers emphasised that further validation involving larger and more diverse groups of prospective teachers is necessary.
The findings also indicated that questions requiring students to apply and analyse knowledge performed better than those testing simple recall. This suggests that assessing the ability to use knowledge in practical situations could offer a more meaningful picture of teachers’ preparedness for inclusive classrooms.
The researchers have cautioned that the assessment remains a pilot tool and should not yet be considered a fully validated instrument. The study also does not establish a direct link between higher assessment scores and improved classroom teaching or student outcomes.
Further research will be required to test the tool among prospective teachers across different colleges in Nagaland, establish its consistency across diverse groups and examine whether assessment scores correspond with actual teaching practices.
The research has particular relevance for Nagaland, where Nagaland University is the institution offering the M.Ed. programme. A context-specific assessment tool could help evaluate how effectively prospective teachers are being prepared to address the learning needs of children in inclusive educational settings.
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