Research about the Holistic proposal to improve teacher performance in inclusive education

RESEARCH ARTICLE Research about the Holistic proposal to improve teacher performance in inclusive education Karla Lourdes Ortiz Granados Assistant Professor \ \ < < Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo Catholic University, Peru , Osmer Agustín Campos Ugaz Assistant Professor Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo Catholic University Peru , Silvia Georgina Aguinaga > Doig Assistant Professor Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo Catholic University Peru , Enaidy Reynosa Navarro Associate Professor / / César Vallejo University Peru , Doi Serial Keywords Improvement, teacher, education, holistic approach.

J IMCRA - International Meetings and Journals Research Association (Azerbaijan). This is an open access article under z the CC BY license .

Inclusive education, from a humanistic perspective, is crucial not only for providing opportunities for students but also for ensuring that their rights are respected without distinction. However, barriers currently exist in global education systems that limit the possibilities for equality. Teachers dedicated to educating students with special educational needs (SEN) lack the resources and tools necessary to optimally carry out their educational work. This fact impedes the transformation and progress of students with disabilities in particular and of society in general.

The Global Education Monitoring Report stated that countries are enacting inclusive policies and laws for children with disabilities. These refer to segregation in 25% of countries, partial segregation in 48%, integration in 10%, and inclusion in 17%. It also notes that only 16 countries worldwide mention inclusion in their general education laws; Peru is among these countries. The report also highlights that teachers ignore the benefits of valuing diversity in their use of teaching resources and learning environments . Approximately 25% of teachers in 48 education systems worldwide state that there is a great need for professional training to teach students with learning needs (UNESCO, 2020) .

The General Education Law of Peru No. 28044 was modified by Law No. 30797. From this modification, inclusive education is promoted with the objective of effectively guaranteeing the inclusive approach in the educational field, being the commitment of educational institutions and the Peruvian State, to ensure the creation and implementation of educational support services for attention to diversity, promoting actions that develop awareness, training and school counseling, thus respecting the right to non-discrimination and equal educational opportunities (Congress of the Republic, 2018).

At the Juan Manuel Iturregui Educational Institution (IE), located in the Lambayeque region of Peru, teachers have been diagnosed with deficiencies in knowledge about addressing diversity and inclusion strategies that allow them to recognize the individual and particular characteristics of their students and guide them to continue developing their skills and abilities in the teaching-learning process. In this regard, the management and pedagogical areas provide training to implement new strategies; however, the expected and necessary progress for achieving learning is not evident. This problem manifests itself from the moment inclusive students approach enrollment in the IE, given that there are few mechanisms for detecting cases, and educators are often surprised by large student enrollments that exceed the requirements of the Peruvian State, incurring a violation of the "Regulations on the Enrollment Process in Basic Education" under Ministerial Resolution No. 447-2020, section V.6. specifies that all EBR and EBA (Alternative Basic Education) IE must reserve at least two vacancies for each classroom it has for students with NNE associated with mild or moderate disabilities.

Regarding coexistence, another complex scenario arises: students without special educational needs often share inappropriate stories that undermine the emotional stability of their peers with special educational needs, contributing to the fact that, despite the efforts of teachers, families, and the community, this situation is not met. Regarding the development of individual guidance plans, there are gaps due to the itinerant support of organizations such as SAANEE (Special Educational Needs Support and Counseling Services), which teachers believe is insufficient.

Meanwhile, the shortcomings of the education system, which is still focused on measuring students' knowledge and performance achievements for each learning experience, obscures the differences, rhythms, and learning styles of these children with diverse characteristics. Furthermore, the failure to implement the necessary tools to address diversity; the lack of interest on the part of teachers in training and keeping up with new educational trends focused on the comprehensive and inclusive education of students; connectivity issues for accessing virtual classes; and the lack of commitment from families to participate in activities organized by the educational institution all exacerbate this problem.

All of the aforementioned aspects create barriers to inclusion in the educational field, which prevent students from fully developing their skills. Given this problem, the following research question arises: How can teacher performance in inclusive education be improved at Juan Manuel Iturregui Elementary School, Lambayeque Region, Peru? The purpose of this study was to design a holistic proposal to enhance teacher performance in inclusion at Juan Manuel Iturregui Elementary School, Lambayeque Region, Peru. The specific objectives are to measure the current level of teacher performance in inclusion among regular basic education teachers at Juan Manuel Iturregui Elementary School, Lambayeque Region, Peru; and to determine the characteristics of a holistic proposal aimed at enhancing teacher performance in inclusion at the aforementioned institution.

This proposal is based on the Transformative Holistic Pedagogical Model of Iafrancesco Villegas (2017) with the integration of the constructivist theory (Vygotsky, 1978) and the theory of multiple intelligences (Gardner, 1995) in correspondence with what is expected in the Framework for Good Teacher Performance (MBDD) in basic teachers through competency-based training. In this way, educational inclusion is currently one of the most effective ways to mobilize and achieve the development of the skills and abilities of students at all levels. Through this research, it will be possible to know the current level of teachers regarding their performance in addressing diversity and implement the proposal with inclusive approach strategies, making reasonable adjustments from the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to know its guidelines and principles for adaptation to curricular planning, starting with the identification of SEN. Finally, the program was beneficial from the perspective of providing inclusive education and equal opportunities for all, by equipping teachers with theoretical and methodological tools that facilitate their role as counselors, tutors, and learning managers.

The direct beneficiaries of the study are primary and secondary school teachers at the aforementioned educational institution, as well as students in the various grades and parents. The study also includes Regular Basic Education schools in the Lambayeque region, distributed across urban, rural, and marginal urban areas, in response to the demands of our country's education system.

Teaching Performance

Escribano Hervis (2018) infers that teacher performance is a key factor for quality education, regardless of financial solvency and curriculum design; teacher performance, as an eminently human factor, is essential to act professionally in line with the needs of the times and society in question, and to promote, with the conviction and responsibility necessary, lifelong training and learning.

At the national level, the MBDD established the competencies and performances that characterize good teaching and that are required of all basic education teachers in the country with the purpose of achieving learning for all students. The guidelines specified therein are divided into four domains: Preparation for student learning, Teaching for student learning, Participation in school management in conjunction with the community, and Development of teacher professionalism and identity. The first relates to preparation for teaching; the second describes the development of teaching in the classroom and at school; the third refers to the coordination of school management with families and the community; and the last encompasses the configuration of teacher identity and the development of their professionalism (Ministry of Education, 2014) .

Teacher performance in times of pandemic

To ensure education during a pandemic, teachers can play multiple roles, including creating distance learning environments, serving as emotional caregivers and learning partners, planning microcurricula, planning instructional design, and serving as tutors. They must facilitate knowledge acquisition and student progress (UNESCO, 2021) . In this context, it is essential that teachers use strategies that allow them to get closer to their students, not only to achieve their learning, but also to understand them emotionally and be more effective during the school year.

On the other hand, Ramos-Huenteo et al. (2020) point out that digital competence as part of teaching performance is a fundamental factor, given that information and communication technologies are already part of everyday life, so teachers must use them not only as resources, but as means to promote meaningful and autonomous learning. However, this requires ongoing training and education for their responsible and appropriate use, as well as a process of reflection and evaluation of their relevance and usefulness according to the purpose to be achieved.

Inclusive education

Inclusive education refers to education that provides equal and effective opportunities for students to receive education and provides help and support to all students in nearby schools in order to empower students to become full members of society to face future life (Andriana & Evans, 2020) . Likewise, cited by Andriana & Evans (2020), it is interpreted as "a process of addressing and responding to the diversity of needs of all learners through increasing participation in learning, cultures and communities, and reducing exclusion from and within education" (UNESCO, 2020). For her part, Ma Victoria (2018) emphasizes that inclusive education is not only about including students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms, nor only about foreign students or students of ethnicities different from the majority in a country. Absolutely not. It involves changing the approach to teaching and learning, so that the system can make its approaches more flexible and be able to offer different options to the diverse students it is obligated to educate.

In relation to the above and to improve an inclusive society and education, at a global level, the 2030 Agenda and approach 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to guarantee inclusive and quality education, with the purpose of addressing diversity and providing opportunities for all. In this way, exclusion and discrimination would be eradicated, increasing the percentage of equality and improving access to education at all levels. Inclusive education is the process whose objective is to address the needs of students with disabilities, integrate them into the social and cultural events of the educational institution and achieve leveling of their learning (United Nations, 2018) .

The National Education Project to 2036 is aligned with Peru's vision for 2050 in consideration of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Thus, it reaffirms education as a fundamental right and a facilitator of other rights, recognizes the importance of promoting people's educational trajectories throughout their lives, and emphasizes the need to close social gaps to achieve inclusion. Among its purposes is to ensure that the right to education is exercised by all people, that is, that we effectively face the challenges linked to inclusion and equity, leaving behind the reproduction of the current segregation and the inability of the educational system to create equal opportunities (National Education Council, 2020) .

At the local level, the Regional Education Project was implemented in 2021, where policy 13 is mentioned with the purpose of promoting the inclusion of girls and boys with SEN in the educational system and creating conditions that enable and optimize their learning, as well as providing as an exclusive measure, the implementation of a stable program for the detection and incorporation of girls and boys with learning needs into the educational field. In this way, the educational problems that affect the Lambayeque community in assisting students with learning differences would be addressed (Lambayeque Regional Government, 2006) .

Inclusive education in times of pandemic

Students with disabilities are especially vulnerable to the disruption caused by the pandemic because they often rely on in-class support, which is difficult to replicate online. Special education teachers and service providers should be included in the school's distance learning plan to determine how individualized services and support will be provided. They should seek input from families and explain how instruction will be delivered, share expectations with the adult supervising the student, and conduct a needs assessment to identify resources the family has or may need to facilitate access to instruction (UNESCO, 2021) .

Method

This research is framed within a quantitative approach of descriptive -propositive design Estela Paredes (2020) with a positivist paradigm and non-experimental method. It is descriptive in type Hernández Sampieri et al. (2014) because it will describe teaching performance and propositive because it proposes the design of a holistic proposal.

The research design used is descriptive-propositive (Estela, 2020) because it describes the dependent variable and uses scientific theory to support the proposal that constitutes the solution to the problem.

M ------- O -------- > ------- > P

D

Where:

M: Regular basic education teachers

O: teacher performance in inclusion

D: Measure the level of teacher performance in inclusion

Tn: Holistic Approach and Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Q: Holistic proposal

The population consisted of 109 EBR teachers working at IE 10106 Juan Manuel Iturregui, in the district and province of Lambayeque. The sample consisted of 40 participants and was selected using the intentional nonprobabilistic method.

The teachers were considered under the criteria of homogeneity, as they belonged to the same socioeconomic level and cultural background in the Lambayeque district, Lambayeque province. They were also professionals in the Regular Basic Education program, at the primary and secondary levels, thus forming a representative sample for the research. They were also selected according to the accessibility-availability criterion, as they were available to the researcher.

The technique used in the dependent variable is the survey and the questionnaire as an instrument (Barriga, 2016) which aims to measure the level of teacher performance in inclusion, in relation to the dimensions of understanding, planning, conduction and evaluation according to the guidelines of the Framework for Good Teacher Performance.

For the purposes of this research, this data collection instrument was validated, considering the participation of 6 experts, in order to determine if it meets the requirements for measuring the dependent variable, which was evaluated under the categories of clarity, coherence, and relevance. After collecting the results from each expert, the information was analyzed using Aiken's V coefficient, reaching the conclusion that the instrument called "Questionnaire to measure the level of teacher performance in inclusion" is highly reliable (see Annex 2), reaching a value of 0.97, indicating that it is suitable for application.

The study instrument also underwent a rigorous reliability assessment process. Twenty participants were selected for the pilot test based on the main characteristics of the study sample and located through the WhatsApp platform. The questionnaire was completed using the Google Forms application. The information collected was also analyzed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. It was determined that the instrument is highly reliable, with a value of 0.82, demonstrating that it produces consistent and coherent results for the research. Therefore, it was found to be reliable for its application.

To collect the information necessary for this study, a questionnaire was developed using a Likert scale, an instrument that was duly validated through expert judgment and measured using the Aiken V coefficient. Additionally, the level of reliability was quantified using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Subsequently, permission was managed with the educational institution in order to guarantee the application of the instrument with primary and secondary level teachers, forming a sample of 25 and 15 teachers respectively, with the objective of measuring the level of teaching performance in inclusion in Lambayeque. These teachers were informed of the application of the survey, through an informed consent specified above the questionnaire and in full exercise of their will, and participated with their contributions to the research.

For the statistical analysis of the information collected from the sample, SPSS v. 26 and Microsoft Excel were used. These programs enabled the creation of absolute and percentage frequency tables, as well as statistical graphs to determine the percentage of each rating scale in a transparent, truthful, and objective manner. The data obtained provided a diagnosis of the current situation of the problem in question, which were analyzed in relation to the objectives set out in this research for the dependent variable.

Results

Table 1 shows that 72.5% of teachers are at the "not achieved," "insufficient," and "sufficient" levels in the "understanding " dimension, which relates to their knowledge of their students' main characteristics related to their special educational needs (SEN). According to the results, a large percentage of teachers did not reach the expected levels, obtaining an arithmetic mean of 14.4 as a study group, being a homogeneous group with a CV of 16.35% and a value of 14 in the mode, a score that is at the sufficient level of the dimension studied.

Table 1

Perception of Teacher Performance Levels in Inclusive Education of Teachers Regarding the Understanding Dimension.

Category	Punctuation	F	%
Not achieved	< 9	-	-
Insufficient	10-13	17	42.5
Enough	14 - 15	12	30
Remarkable	16 - 17	6	15
Outstanding	18 - 20	5	12.5
Total		40	100.0

Statistics: Mean=14.4; Median=14; Mode=14; SD=2.35

Table 2

Table 2 shows that over 60% of teachers failed to achieve the expected level in the planning dimension, indicating that they still struggle to adapt, adjust, and contextualize their programming to their students' learning rhythms and styles. The results showed that 25% and 40% of EBR teachers achieved an insufficient and sufficient level, respectively, with an arithmetic mean of 14.9. This constitutes a homogeneous group with a CV of 10.70% and a mode of 14.7, a score that is at the sufficient level in the dimension studied.

Perception ofTeacher Performance Levels in Inclusive Education ofTeachers Regarding the Planning Dimension

Category	Punctuation	F	%
Not achieved	< 9	0	0
Insufficient	10-13	10	25
Enough	14 - 15	16	40
Remarkable	16 - 17	12	30
Outstanding	18 - 20	2	5
Total		40	100.0

Statistics: Mean=14.9; Median=14.7; Mode=14.7; SD=1.60

Table 3 shows that 64.5% of teachers achieved insufficient and sufficient levels in the Leadership dimension, indicating a problem for student learning achievement. According to the results, more than 60% of teachers did not achieve the expected level, obtaining an arithmetic mean of 14.8. This constitutes a homogeneous group with a CV of 10.19%, with a value of 14.8 on the mode, a score that is at the sufficient level for the dimension studied.

Table 3

Perception ofTeacher Performance Levels in Inclusive Education ofTeachers Regarding the Leadership Dimension.

Category	Punctuation	F	%
Not achieved	< 9	0	0
Insufficient	10-13	8	20
Enough	14 - 15	17	42.5
Remarkable	16 - 17	14	35
Outstanding	18 - 20	1	2.5
Total		40	100.0

Statistics: Mean=14.8; Median=14.9; Mode=14.3; SD=1.51

Table 4 shows that more than 60% of teachers show deficiencies in this dimension, which indicates a problem for the formative assessment of students with special educational needs.

According to the results, 2.5%, 7.5% and 42.5% of EBR teachers obtained the levels not achieved, insufficient and sufficient respectively, with an arithmetic mean of 14.9, being a homogeneous group with a CV of 12.63%, with a value of 15 in the mode, a score that is at the sufficient level of the dimension studied.

Table 4

Perception ofTeacher Performance Levels in Inclusive Education ofTeachers Regarding the Evaluation Dimension.

Category	Punctuation	F	%
Not achieved	< 9	1	2.5
Insufficient	10-13	3	7.5
Enough	14 - 15	17	42.5
Remarkable	16 - 17	15	37.5
Outstanding	18 - 20	4	10
Total		40	100.0

Statistics: Mean=14.9; Median=15; Mode=15; SD=1.88

Characteristics ofthe Holistic Proposal to enhance the level ofteacher performance in inclusion

Figure 2

Graphic summary ofthe proposal

Figure 1. Graphic summary ofthe proposal

This proposal is based on Iafrancesco's (2017) Transformative Holistic Pedagogical Model with the integration of Gardner's (1995) Theory of Multiple Intelligences - TIM and Vygotsky's (1978 ) Constructivist Theory. The mission of this model is to change the school through the integration and participation of all its entities, with the aim of comprehensively training students from their uniqueness and maturity, through leadership and pedagogical innovation and building students' knowledge in relation to the context in which they develop. On the one hand, TIM implies not only considering individual differences between students, but also having a value on them to develop their intellectual capacities from their particularity; on the other hand, the second theory indicates that knowledge is built through interaction with the social world, where the student, from the moment they begin to relate to their environment, appropriates knowledge from the constructs they generate. Both theories focus on the student, who, through the various ways of acquiring and developing their learning, will have the support of the teacher through mediation, who, through their pedagogical work, will assume an inclusive approach to the teaching process.

Regarding methodology, it will be addressed through the application of supportive educational strategies such as cooperative teaching, cooperative learning, and study circles, promoting the active participation and dynamics of all teachers, both in the initial stages, in the implementation, and in the results, providing information that will enable them to enhance their teaching performance in inclusive education.

This proposal aims to enhance the teaching performance of inclusion teachers at the EBR of IE 10106 Juan Manuel Iturregui in Lambayeque, considering the dimensions of comprehension, planning, management and evaluation of learning, as established in the Framework for Good Teaching Performance.

Discussion

According to the findings, it can be determined that the level of teacher performance in inclusion at IE Nº10106 Juan Manuel Iturregui de Lambayeque is deficient, because the participants did not reach the expected levels in the dimensions of comprehension, planning, conduction and evaluation considered to determine their current level. In this regard, the teaching performance cited by Escribano (2018) can be defined as a series of activities developed by teachers in the comprehensive training of students, that is, it not only considers their cognitive development, but also considers their particularity; emphasize their needs, experiences, projects, diversity of each person, and use their teaching preparation, motivation and high creativity. In this sense, EBR teachers must update their training to improve their teaching strategies, in this regard Lopez Altamirano et al. (2021) mention that they require differentiated resources, which can be: professionals, materials, architectural adjustments and curricular adaptations (cited by Lopez Altamirano et al., 2021) .

On the other hand, among the studies that are related to the results we find Tenorio Trigoso (2019) who in their research determined that 83.3% of the teachers evaluated in a region in the north of our country present deficiencies in the framework of good teaching performance in relation to the four dimensions established by the Ministry of Education. Likewise, Lopez Jimenez & Noguera Coronado (2019) in their research carried out at an educational institution, concluded that education professionals need to strengthen their teacher training in inclusion;

In relation to inclusive education, among the studies that are related to the results we find Montoya-González (2021) who concluded that the current structure of inclusive and diverse learning in Colombia is not prepared to meet the needs of training based on universal design for teaching and education.

In relation to the results of the proposal, among the selected background information that is related to the research we find Anchundia Vera (2019) who conducted a study on a sample of 20 teachers in an educational institution in Guayaquil, and obtained as a result that the application of an inclusive approach workshop significantly strengthens teacher performance in basic education institutions. On the other hand, Molina Bernal (2017) in her teacher training proposal to address diversity, concluded that the participating teachers were organized under a cooperative proposal that has allowed them to build inclusive teaching methods that enable curricular adaptation and flexibility.

Conclusions

The study determined the current level of teacher performance in inclusion, revealing worrying levels linked to the limited initial and ongoing preparation teachers receive. This problem undoubtedly affects the development and attainment of competencies for all students with particular characteristics at the various levels of regular basic education. Specifically, there are limitations in addressing learning needs and successfully developing individual characteristics and strengths that enable their subsequent performance, both academically and in society.

The research established the characteristics of a holistic proposal for enhancing teacher performance in inclusion (EBR). This proposal would not only strengthen teachers' pedagogical work to improve teaching and learning, but also, through their human and common good perspectives, would understand people with different abilities in society, contributing from their perspective to eradicating barriers to exclusion. In short, the study has a high impact based on its contribution, responding to educational, social, economic, political, and cultural objectives; in fact, it promotes the achievement of the sustainable development goals promoted by the countries of the international coalition.