Perception of Higher Education professors about the repercussions of an inclusion training course on their teaching practice

Abstract

The research aimed to identify the changes perceived by professors at the Federal University of Pará — Castanhal Campus, in their teaching practices, after participating in a training on the inclusion of special education students target audience in higher education. A total of 29 professors from this campus attended in the training and who answered individually to the instrument Professor Training for the Inclusion of Special Education Students II (FDIAEE-II) participated. It was found there had been changes in the professors' perception of their practices with graduating students; in the professors' pedagogical practices (interaction between professor and special education student target audience, methodology, content, and assessment); and in institutional interactions. It was also found that there was repercussions beyond those who attended the training, such as professors who were not part of the training process. Furthermore, it was concluded that the training had contributed to the construction of an inclusive institutional culture. And there is a need to institutionalize pedagogical training on inclusion as an important strategy to ensure a continuous process which contributes to the permanence, participation, and progression of Special Education undergraduates target audience.