University Teachers’ Willingness to Support Inclusive and Effective Student-Centred Learning

Teachers’ beliefs regarding inclusive pedagogy, as well as sustainable and effective student-centred learning, play a crucial role in fostering a positive attitude towards inclusive education and implementing inclusive teaching practices. Embracing underpinning inclusive student-centred pedagogies (I-ScP) is imperative for teachers so they can consciously employ instructional methods that benefit all learners and cultivate a sense of community to promote inclusive education (Florian, 2014; Erby et al., 2021). This is often expected without an unanimously acknowledged process or shared understanding for teacher praxis to reflect on their knowledge, comprehension, and approaches to developing suggested inclusive strategies (Moriarty, 2007; Glowacki-Dudka et.al., 2012; Loreman, 2017). This study attempts to investigate and evaluate university teachers’ readiness to facilitate a student-centred I-ScP learning methodology that prioritises inclusivity and effectiveness, taking into account the perspectives of university educators regarding their praxis repertoire. Employing a mixed-methods approach, we interviewed university educators from both Romanian and Greek institutions after they had completed a questionnaire. The quantitative analysis focused on several key areas: the perceived importance of understanding students’ learning needs, strategies for accommodating diverse learning styles, and methods for promoting I-ScP in the classroom through non-judgmental discussions about cultural, social, and other differences. The data revealed critical insights on four specific aspects: the recognition of the significance of understanding students’ learning needs, adapting to diverse learning styles, the need for more transparency, cultivating empathy in the classroom and embracing diversity in the educational setting.