Making Inclusion Work: Predictors of Inclusive Teaching Practices in Assam’s Schools

Abstract

Inclusive education requires more than formal school access: teachers must be able to recognize barriers to participation, adapt instruction, collaborate with colleagues and families, and obtain meaningful institutional support. Although teacher attitudes and self-efficacy are established concerns in international research, locally grounded evidence on their joint relationship with everyday inclusive practices remains necessary. This paper presents a preregisterable quantitative research protocol for examining preparedness, attitudes, perceived institutional support and self-reported inclusive practices among schoolteachers in Kamrup Metropolitan and Kamrup Rural districts of Assam, India. A cross-sectional, stratified multistage survey is proposed, targeting approximately 400 completed teacher questionnaires. The original 24-item instrument contains four provisional six-item dimensions, supplemented by eight background variables. Expert assessment, cognitive interviewing, a separate pilot and confirmatory measurement analysis will be used to evaluate validity and reliability. Planned analyses include descriptive estimates, district comparisons, correlation and cluster-aware multivariable regression. No fieldwork or statistical analysis has yet occurred; consequently, this manuscript reports no observed associations, significance tests or outcomes. The study is designed to identify actionable relationships between professional preparation, school conditions and inclusive teaching while explicitly acknowledging the limitations of self-report and cross-sectional inference. Findings, when available, could inform targeted teacher development and school-level support in Assam.