Co‐teaching and school inclusion. An empirical study on perception and implementation in Italian secondary schools
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7346/sird-012025-p39Keywords:
co-teaching, inclusive education, teacher development, co-teaching paradox, secondary schoolAbstract
Co-teaching is an educational approach founded on collaboration between two teachers in the domains of planning, teaching and assessment, with the objective of promoting school inclusion. The present study explores the perception and actual application of co-teaching in Italian secondary schools, highlighting the discrepancy between theory and practice. A mixed quantitative and qualitative approach was adopted for data collection, utilising the Co-Teaching Rating Scale and the Colorado Assessment of Co-Teaching, administered to 114 teachers (57 curricular and 57 support), and semi-structured interviews with 20 teachers.The analysis revealed significant discrepancies between the perceived and actual implementation of co-teaching, particularly in co-planning and shared teaching, with support teachers encountering greater challenges. A comparison with a previous study by Ghedin & Aquario (2016) shows a slight improvement in teacher collaboration, but critical issues related to curriculum rigidity, insufficient training and poor synergy persist.The study emphasises the need for targeted training, greater enhancement of the role of the support teacher and cultural changes in schools in order to make co-teaching a truly inclusive and structured practice.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Cristiana Cardinali, Andrea Fiocca Romano, Maria Cinque
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