The Current Status of Classroom Inclusion Activities of Secondary Agriculture Teachers

The current status of classroom inclusion activities among agriculture teachers in comprehensive secondary agricultural education programs in Ohio is reported. The researchers describe secondary agriculture teachers’ needs related to teaching learners with special needs in inclusion classes, given legislative mandates. Specifically, the researchers describe the teaching techniques used, the comfort level with various techniques used, and the services/resources provided to teachers when teaching learners with special needs in inclusion classes. Secondary agriculture teachers generally felt comfortable teaching in inclusion classes yet reported the need to obtain more knowledge in order to clarify how an inclusion classroom should function. Various techniques for teaching learners with special needs were deemed successful, unsuccessful, comfortable to use, and uncomfortable to use by the teachers studied. The researchers concluded that restructuring preservice agriculture teacher programs to include more instruction on how to teach learners with special needs was necessary. Teachers of learners with special needs in inclusion classrooms also need pertinent services, resources, and inservice educational opportunities to stay current in teaching practices and policies for teaching in inclusion classes.