Abstract Book of the 9th International Conference on Innovative Research in Education
Year: 2026
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Special Education Teachers’ Pre- and In-service Knowledge and Practice of Co-Teaching in Kuwait Full-inclusion Classrooms
Zaid Al-Shammari
ABSTRACT:
This paper reports the findings of research that aimed to reveal the level of special education teachers’ pre- and in-service knowledge and practice of co-teaching with general education classroom teachers in Kuwait full-inclusion classrooms. A sample of 226 special education classroom teachers in general elementary education schools participated, represteing (76.1%) of the original popluation in public inclusion schools. The results showed that the level of pre- and in-service special education classroom teachers’ knowledge was at an average level, and their level of practice was at a high level, and likewise there was no effect of demographic variables on the level of pre- and in-service knowledge of the co-teaching, while the only effect of the pre- and in-service knowledge dimension of co-teaching appeared on the academic qualification variable in favor of the special education specialization, also the results showed that the two dimensions of pre- and in-service special education classroom teachers’ knowledge had an effective and important level of impact on the practice of co-teaching, and the greatest impact was on the in-service knowledge dimension. Recommendations are provided to those in charge of the Ministry of Education in Kuwait to providing professional development programs for special education teachers, and conducting more studies to understanding the effectiveness of co-teaching models and linking them to more different and varied variables.
Keywords: Special Education Teachers, Knowledge of Practice, Co-Teaching, Full-Inclusion Classrooms, Kuwait