Active Teacher Education for Collaborative Learning and Inclusion: Exploring Participants’ Perceptions of in-service Training Courses in Italian Schools

RESEARCH QUESTIONS Research on learning processes (Kagan, 2005; Johnson & Johnson, 2017; 2018;) affirms that student engagement is central to successful learning and that active learning experiences favour greater intellectual and emotional involvement. But, do high levels of participant engagement in training necessarily result in efficacy? The present study aims to answer this question by identifying which elements of an in-service training course, focused on encouraging collaborative strategies and inclusive processes (designed for Italian schools), were considered effective by the participating teachers. METHOD 35 in-service training courses (12-25 hours) were monitored between 2019-2020. The courses were held by 9 trainers from Scintille.it, a private Italian teacher education enterprise approved by the Italian Ministry of Universities and Research (MIUR). The training involved 1,041 in-service teachers from 15 Italian provinces. The courses covered 4 different areas: theoretical and experiential sessions on cooperative learning principles, active methodologies, relational skills and coaching. Data were collected through an online post-training satisfaction survey, which consisted of 5 personal data questions and 20 simple items (Cronbach α=.874) with open questions and a 6-point Likert scale, to which 759 (72.9%) people responded (60.7% kindergarten and elementary teachers; 39.3% middle and high school teachers). The descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using the IBMSPSS v.21 software. Qualitative analysis was performed by two independent coders to identify the common themes (Tarozzi, 2020), using QSRNVivo12. RESULTS Quantitative analysis revealed high levels of interest (µ=5.13; Mo=6.00; Ds=1.07), declared participation by teachers in group-work (µ=4.98; Mo=6; Ds=1.11), and a perception that trainers were attentive to participants’ needs (µ=5.36; Mo=6.00; Ds=0.99). A significant correlation between perceived satisfaction and engagement (0.841 p<0.01 two-Tailed) was also demonstrated, with a declared improvement in theoretical knowledge (µ=4.72) and professional skills (µ=4.48). Preliminary results from a qualitative thematic analysis have shown appreciation of: a welcoming learning climate that promotes constructive cooperation and emotional involvement; the small-group work; the careful balance between practice and theory; the transfer of experiences to the classroom; the sensitivity and competence of the trainers. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS The strengths and weaknesses of this training will be examined, discussing their implications for future teacher training programs, aimed at promoting positive interdependence and making schools more collaborative and (thus) inclusive (Sharan, 2017). In the light of the pandemic, further studies are needed to investigate which strategies can effectively be transferred to online training on collaborative and inclusive teaching, and which technologies are best suited to this task. REFERENCES Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2017). The use of cooperative procedures in teacher education and professional development. Journal of Education for Teaching, 43(3), 284-295. doi:10.1080/02607476.2017.1328023 Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2018). Cooperative Learning: The Foundation for Active Learning. In S. M. Brito (Eds), Active Learning - Beyond the Future. IntechOpen. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.81086. Available from: https://www.intechopen.com/books/active-learning-beyond-the-future/cooperative-learning-the-foundation-for-active-learning Kagan, S. (2005). Structures Optimize Engagement. San Clemente, CA: Kagan Publishing. Available from https://www.kaganonline.com/free_articles/dr_spencer_kagan/293/Structures-Optimize-Engagement Sharan, Y. (2017). What Cooperative Learning Contributes to the Intercultural Classroom. In A. Portera & C. Grant (Eds.), Intercultural Education and Competences: Challenges and Answers for the Global World (pp. 173-186). Newcastle (UK): Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Tarozzi, M. (2020). What is Grounded Theory? London: Bloomsbury.