Exploring Pre-service Teachers’ Preparedness for Inclusive Education Amidst COVID-19 Distance Learning in the UAE

This study explores the effect of distance education during COVID-19 on the level of preparedness among pre-service teachers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for inclusive education. Data were gathered during the 2022 academic year when most universities in the UAE were still offering most of their classes in online mode. An open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. The questionnaire was distributed online in Arabic and English to senior students in education colleges across five universities in the UAE. Twenty-one pre-service teachers participated in the study; all completed the online questionnaire. Of these, six teachers agreed to participate in an online interview via the Zoom platform. The results indicate a significant difference in the preparedness level between the pre-service teachers who completed their practicum courses online and those who did their practicum physically at school. A lack of knowledge about certain disabilities and concerns about teaching students with diverse needs inclusively were among the challenges highlighted by the pre-service teachers. These findings emphasize the critical need for targeted improvements in teacher training programs, especially in adapting to the dynamic landscape of inclusive education in E-learning.