ASSESSMENT OF PRE-SERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS’ WILLINGNESS TO IMPLEMENT INCLUSIVE STEM EDUCATION IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

The study investigated the willingness of pre-service science teachers (PSTs) to implement inclusive STEM education in regular classrooms in Anambra State. Four research questions and two hypotheses, tested at 0.05 level of significance, guided the study. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted on a sample of 304 students. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire adapted from Nwosu et al. (2020), which demonstrated high reliability with an overall Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.881. The instrument was validated by three experts from the Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (one-way ANOVA). The findings revealed that PSTs demonstrated a greater willingness to teach academically weak and at-risk students than those with behavioural challenges. Furthermore, PSTs were willing to provide emotional and adaptive support to special needs students, such as adapting curricula and modifying assessments. A significant gender difference was observed, with female PSTs showing a greater willingness than their male counterparts both to teach special needs students and to provide emotional and adaptive support. It was recommended among other things that STEM teacher education curricula should incorporate specialized modules on inclusive classroom management and provide structured practicum experiences.