Assessing the efficacy of online teacher training programs in preparing pre-service teachers to support students with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms in the UAE: A case study

The study aimed to explore the challenges and potential benefits of online delivery in preparing pre-service teachers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for inclusive teaching. The study specifically examined their readiness to assist students with special educational needs (SEN) within the K-12 education system. It employed semi-structured interviews to comprehensively understand the perspectives and experiences of 11 pre-service teachers enrolled in an online teacher education programme. The findings revealed that the participants expressed significant concern about their preparedness to teach students with SEN. They expressed apprehension about the limited opportunities they had during their teacher education programme to learn about and interact with students with SEN. The findings also shed light on the gap between theory and practice, underscoring the importance of contemporary teacher education programmes in re-evaluating their curricula to address the emerging needs of both learners and teachers, specifically in the post-pandemic era of COVID-19. Lastly, the study provided implications for practice and suggested future research in this area.