Teaching Practice Experiences in Inclusive Classrooms: The Voices of University of Botswana Special Education Student Teachers

Teaching practice (TP) remains one critical means of exposing student teachers to actual classroom experiences with a view to equip them with the needed pedagogical skills. The voice of the student teachers is vital in order to understand their experiences in the field as a way to ensure better outcomes for current and future teacher trainees. Using a qualitative research methodology, this study explored the TP experiences of student teachers enrolled in the Special Education program at the University of Botswana. Individual and focus groups interviews were conducted with third and fourth year student teachers on TP in inclusive classrooms. The data was analysed using content analysis. The findings indicated that teaching learners with special educational needs (SENs) was challenging for the student teachers. They (participants) expressed both positive and negative experiences of teaching practice relating to knowledge and skills, mentor relationship and how TP is organised. A key recommendation is that teacher trainers should ensure that student teachers being prepared for entry into the teaching profession are exposed to positive inclusive experiences and equipped with relevant pedagogical skills around inclusive education as they progress through the special education program.