Impact of Educational Guidance of Inclusive Education in Regular Classes and on Teacher Efficacy in India & Japan

Michiko Ishikawa and Miyuki Matsumoto        Panch. Ramalingam                         Muhammad Kamal Uddin Nagoya Sangyo University, Japan                                  Pondicherry University, India                University of Dhaka, Bangladesh Pages:83 - 93 The purpose of this study is to examine how the educational guidance of inclusive education in regular classes works on teacher efficacy and impacts students in Japan and India. There were 661 teachers in Japan and 306 teachers in India. There were two stages. First, a confirmatory factor analysis of the “WISC-IV Guidance of Inclusive Education in Regular Classes: W-IVGIER” scale was administered in Japan and India. Second, a simultaneous multi-group analysis was conducted to examine the differences and similarities between the countries. The results showed that the teachers in India were more likely than their Japanese counterparts to report from “Understanding and consideration of the family environment,” “Understanding students and forming a learning group,” and “Personal teaching efficacy,” was significantly higher. Japanese teachers had a greater variance in “Personal teaching efficacy,” and “General educational efficacy,” than their Indian counterparts. The results showed that Indian teachers’ efficacy in inclusive education in the regular classroom increased when they worked with parents to understand and educate students, while Japanese teachers may need assistance to support their efficacy. Keywords: regular classes, inclusive education, educational guidance, teacher efficacy, Japanese teacher, Indian teacher