A cross-sectional study of pre-service teachers’ attitudes, self-efficacy, social norms, intention to teach, behaviour and concerns towards inclusive education in Ghana

Abstract
The present reform in initial teacher education in Ghana aims to thoroughly prepare teachers to adopt inclusive practices to meet the learning needs of all learners irrespective of gender, disabilities, cultural, social, linguistic, or geographical factors and promote their social inclusion. In pursuit of these objectives, the Ghanaian Government has initiated the implementation of a new bachelor’s in education (B. Ed) curriculum (a six-year government program) since 2019, to improve the learning experiences of pre-service teachers. Despite the recognised benefits of pre-service teacher education in enhancing teachers’ knowledge of inclusive education, teachers’ attitudes, self-efficacy, subjective norms, and intention toward adopting inclusive practices and teaching behaviour in classrooms, no attention has been given to the impact of the new bachelor’s in education (B. Ed) teacher education curriculum on teachers’ knowledge about inclusive education, attitudes, self-efficacy, subjective norms, and intention toward adopting inclusive practices. Hence, this study investigates the levels of knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, social norms, intention, and concerns regarding inclusive education among pre-service teachers across four conveniently selected university colleges of education in Ghana. In total, 900 preservice teachers recruited from four conveniently selected university colleges of education in three regions in Ghana were surveyed about their knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, social norms, intentions, and concerns regarding inclusive education. Utilising the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework, data analysis, being conducted using SPSS, aims to identify predictors of pre-service teachers' intentions toward inclusive education in Ghanaian schools. The study will conclude with discussions on findings, limitations, suggestions for future research, and implications for policymaking.