Music Teacher Preparation for the Inclusive Classroom: The Case of Presbyterian College of Education, Akropong-Akuapem

Music Teacher Preparation for the Inclusive Classroom: The Case of Presbyterian College of Education, Akropong-Akuapem

Samuel Agbenyo

Department of Music Education University of Education, Winneba

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.90300042

Received: 14 February 2025; Accepted: 24 February 2025; Published: 27 March 2025

ABSTRACT

In this qualitative case study, Inclusive Music Education refers to the practice of including students with disabilities in the general music education classroom, where they are educated together with their typically developing peers. Despite the initiation of inclusion policies in the 1950s, teacher preparation for inclusive music education in Ghana has been inadequate, necessitating rigorous research interventions. Underpinned by the social identity, and the zone of proximal development theories, this study investigated instructional strategies being employed in the inclusive music teacher preparation programme at Presbyterian College of Education, Akropong-Akuapem. It further examined perceived state of preparedness among pre-service teachers to teach music in inclusive basic schools. Data were collected from 26 purposively sampled participants through interview, focus group discussion, as well as non-participant observation, and analysed thematically. Findings indicated that strategies such as professional collaboration, accommodation, adaptation, tactile techniques, and differentiated instruction were employed in preparing teachers for inclusive school settings. It was also revealed that there was cordial relationship among all members of the college community, with no stigmatization of students with special learning needs. A broader range of inclusive teaching strategies was recommended for the programme. It was also recommended that professional collaboration be expanded to include other teacher preparation institutions in the country. Future research will investigate inclusive practices in other pre-service teacher preparation institutions across the country.

Keywords: inclusive, pre-service teacher, preparation, music, strategies, rote

INTRODUCTION

For the past three decades, inclusive education has become a global concept fueled by international declarations such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. As a result, countries from all continents started their journeys toward inclusion (Buchner et al., 2021). At the World Conference on Special Needs Education held in Salamanca, Spain, from June 7 to 10, 1994 the “The Salamanca Statement” treaty was signed, mandating that “disabled children should attend the neighborhood school that would be attended if the child did not have a disability” (UNESCO, 1994, p. 6; Ainscow et al., 2019). The statement argues that every child has a basic right to education, irrespective of their unique characteristics, interests, abilities and learning needs.

There are diverse discussions about what inclusive education means, what it should involve, and how it can be enacted (Fautley & Daubney, 2018). But in the context of this research, inclusive education, which is also referred to as inclusion or mainstreaming is defined as the practice of incorporating students with disabilities in the general education classroom (Zeichman, 2023), where they are educated together with their typically developing peers (Cook et al., 2017). It is a system of education which is based on the concept of social justice, by which all students are entitled to equal access to all educational opportunities, irrespective of disability or any form of disadvantage (Kirschner, 2020). This definition derives strength from core inclusive principles, (Kunwar, & Adhikari, 2023). arguing that (a) children have a wide diversity of characteristics and needs, (b) difference is normal, (c) children with disabilities should attend their neighborhood schools, (d) schools need to accommodate all children, (e) community participation is essential for inclusion, (f) child-centered pedagogy is central to inclusion, (g) flexible curricula should adapt to children, not vice versa, and (h) inclusion needs proper resources and support.  These principles seek to suggest that inclusion is vital to human dignity and the enjoyment of full human rights as a member of a hetero-ecological community (Slee & Tait, 2022). Though there are several types of special needs students, the focus of this study was on the visually impaired and the hearing-impaired in addition to the typically developing students since these were the three main categories matriculated at PCE.

It is worth-noting that in spite of Ghana’s reportedly strong inclination towards inclusive education, with a concentration on the elementary school, the nation’s pre-service teacher preparation in the country falls short of inclusive practice (Aróstegui, & Kyakuwa, 2021). The situation has partly been attributed to factors such as (a) public prejudicial perception of persons with special needs, (b) architectural barriers, (c) inadequate assessment facilities, (d) inaccessible curriculum, (e) curriculum inflexibility, and (f) ineffective or inadequate planning and provision of special education needs for elementary school teachers (Botts & Owusu, 2023).  This situation poses a significant problem, in view of Opoku et al.’s (2021) argument that teachers are at the heart of implementing inclusive education, and that they should be supported and trained to adopt different teaching strategies to support diverse students within the classroom context. Since the beginning of the implementation of inclusive education in Ghana, it has been reported that there have been many challenges affecting how it is interpreted and operationalized at various levels of schooling (Mprah et al., 2016).

For example, it was identified that teachers (who are supposed to implement the inclusive education policies) lacked the prerequisite skills needed to practice inclusive education within a classroom setting, and that they reported a sense of unpreparedness to effectively teach students with Special Education Needs (SEN) including those with disabilities (Opoku, 2024). Similarly, Agbenyegah et al. (2023) argue that the pedagogical prototypes being practiced in teacher preparation institutions and schools in Ghana lack the required expertise to address the complexity of teaching in inclusive classrooms. They opine that the inclusive elements of the education policies crafted over the years have remained on paper without their real intended meaning being experienced in schools. This conclusion has been corroborated by the postulation (Tah, 2025) that inclusive learner achievement in Ghana can be compromised unless teacher preparation programmes change course to embrace a new wave of pedagogical practice that prepares the pre-service teacher to function effectively in the inclusive school context.

It therefore raises a concern to discover that teacher preparation for inclusive music education in Ghana remains inadequate. Despite the initiation of inclusion policies in the 1950s, the implementation of inclusive music education has faced challenges, particularly in preparing music teachers to effectively teach students with disabilities alongside their typically developing peers. Unfortunately, research on Ghanaian inclusive music education has not received much attention to help bring about the necessary invigoration to the teacher preparation component of the music education discourse (Deku & Vanderpuye, 2017).  It is difficult find an extant work on inclusive music education in Ghana, although a few studies are available on the subject matter in other parts of the Sub-Saharan West Africa (Hoffman, 2024) and South Africa (Woodward, 2017; Beaumont et al., 2021). Hence, the purpose of this study was to have an in-depth investigation of the music teacher preparation programme in Ghana, using the Presbyterian College of Education as a case study while helping fill the gap in music education literature. Specifically, the study sought to investigate instructional strategies being employed in the inclusive music teacher preparation programme at Presbyterian College of Education, Akropong-Akuapem. It further examined perceived state of preparedness among pre-service teachers to teach music in inclusive basic schools.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

The Need for Inclusion

“Any group of students has a wide range of abilities, and each student presents a special need in terms of the best way to reach their maximum learning potential” (Ott, 2011, p. 1; Ott, 2022). While some students may be gifted, others are challenged, and each may need a level of modifications to the curriculum in order to succeed (Ott, 2022). For example, visual impairments among students range from low vision to blindness and can demand a variety of strategies (Hourigan, 2023). This demand requires music educators to work closely with the special education team near them for support services to their students. These support services may include provision of an assistive device such as a cane, technology and transcription software such as a Braille printer to translate text and music, a therapy animal such as a seeing-eye dog, or a teacher aide, depending on the educational needs of a given student (Draper, 2019; Fautley & Daubney, 2018).

Daněk (2024) opines that in an inclusive education environment, where these supports are not properly embedded in the instructional process, much of what the traditional music teacher teaches is not accessible to all students, especially those with disabilities. That notwithstanding, Jellison et al. (2017) contend that the regular music curriculum offered to typically developing students in the inclusive setting will be as accessible as possible to students with disabilities if designed to be flexible and adaptations meet students’ needs. Hence, it is evocative for Bates, et al., (2020) to conclude that the teacher’s conversance with the concept of inclusive education is key to success of their teaching and learning engagement with all students.

Effective Inclusion in the Music Classroom

Although inclusive education is often difficult to implement (Alhassan et al., 2024), successful music educators have found that employing certain instructional recommendations can help meet the needs of students with varying abilities. Typical among these recommendations are teaching strategies, described by Fautley and Daubney (2023) as any number of teaching mechanisms that address the needs of students with a variety of backgrounds, learning styles, and abilities. Darrow and Adamek (2018) postulate that in order to develop effective inclusive strategies, music educators need to collaborate with other professionals in the school to gather information about students’ abilities and special needs. Important information includes (a) the student’s strengths or special skills, (b) the student’s disability characteristics, limitations, or weaknesses, and (c) useful strategies for working with the student. For instance, Gerrity et al. (2017) are optimistic that special need students, such as those with visual challenges, are successful with learning when provided with clear instruction with as little language as possible.

Instructional Strategies for Inclusive Teacher Preparation

Two main inclusive strategies that have proven effective are accommodation and modification (Darrow & Adamek, 2018; Christianson, 2024). Believing that the special needs student can achieve the same level of participation or accomplishment as the typically developing student in the class but needs additional support (Cook, 2017), the inclusive music teacher accommodates. Accommodation refers to changes or adjustments made to the learning environment, instructional methods, or assessment procedures to enable students with disabilities or special needs to access the curriculum and participate in learning activities (Katz, 2020). “Accommodations do not alter the learning standards or expectations but rather provide support to help students meet those standards” (Barton, 2022, p. 123). Examples of accommodation listed in Bryant and Bryant (2015) include offering one-on-one instruction or support to the student, providing extra time to complete assignments or tests, using assistive technology, such as text-to-speech software for the visually-impaired student, enlarging music for students with vision loss, using a microphone for students with hearing loss, employing “hand-to-hand” technique to offer tactile learning experiences, such as hands-on activities, tactile graphics, and 3D models for individuals who have complicated combinations of vision-hearing-speech impairments (Katz, 2017, p. 210). It also involves support from interpreters, note-takers, or assistants who can facilitate communication and learning (Luckner, 2017), and having a student with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) sit where there are no distractions, or allowing students to use adapted instruments that enable them to play the music as written.

Modification refers to changes made to the curriculum, learning standards, or instructional goals to make them more accessible and achievable for students with significant cognitive, academic, or functional disabilities (Heward, 2020; “Modifications alter the learning expectations and standards, providing a more tailored and individualized approach to meet the unique needs of the student” (Janney & Snell, 2023, p. 145). Examples of modifications include simplifying learning objectives or outcomes, reducing the complexity or scope of assignments, and providing alternative assignments or projects. It is worth noting that “accommodations support students in meeting the same learning standards as their peers, while modifications alter the learning standards themselves” (Hallahan et al., 2022, p. 201). “Accommodations are typically used for students with mild to moderate disabilities, while modifications are often used for students with more significant or severe disabilities” (Katz, 2020, p. 16). These approached involve the use of tactile techniques where learners are provided with resources that students manipulate through the sense of touching (Jinghong & Sanmugam, 2025) Considering the critical role teacher educators play in promoting the implementation of inclusive education, Forlin et al. (2024) maintain that it is important for them to identify their pre-service teachers’ attitudes and find out the extent to which these attitudes are influenced by demographic variables. Teacher educators must also be able to modify the deep-rooted philosophy of pre-service teachers that might be inconsistent with the principles of inclusion Nijakowska et al. (2024). To improve pre-service teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education and acceptance of inclusive teaching ideologies, it is recommended that the attitudes of teacher educators themselves are positive and supportive and that they must demonstrate inclusive knowledge, skills, and values in their routines. It is therefore strongly suggested Forlin et al. (2024) that teacher preparation reforms for inclusive education focus more on equipping teacher educators with appropriate practical training and exposure to inclusive pedagogical approaches.

Theoretical Underpinning

This study is underpinned by the social identity theory, and the zone of proximal development theory. According to Panhwar et al. (2025), Henri Tajfel’s (1972) social identity theory (SIT) states that “Individuals define their own identities with regard to social groups, and that such identifications work to protect and bolster self-identity.” (p. 1781). The creation of group identities involves both the categorization of one’s ‘in-group’ with regard to an ‘out-group’ and the tendency to view one’s own group with a positive bias in relation to the out-group. Positive in-group bias can be justified on grounds that the in-group comes to take on a self-relevant role, where individuals define themselves through the group. Thus, comparisons between groups are emotionally laden, and equivalent to ‘self-other’ comparisons, with group threats interpreted as threats to the individual self (Smith et al., 2023). Furthermore, Turner et al. (1978) describe the in-group-out-group relationship as entailing a “competition for positive identity,” (p. 10) with out-group categorizations strategically framed to maximize self-evaluations. Thus, treatment of out-group members is directly related to the motive to protect or enhance the self (Panhwar et al. (2025). That is to say that a social category within which one falls, and to which one belongs, provides a definition for who they are.

Appropriating this theory in music education, Hammel and Hourigan (2017; 2020; 2024) suggest that students in the music classroom are able to construct a social identity based on their experience within the music classroom in diverse ways. This identity manifests itself within a social group, or in a section within a performing ensemble, or in ways through which their self-perceived achievement relates to the overall targets or class aspirations. “Because a student’s self-worth is a critical part of this identity, particular attention needs to be paid to those who are challenged, and how the student and the rest of the class perceive those challenges” (p. 112).

Lev Semenovich Vygotsky defines the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) as “the distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers” (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86). The ZPD theory is often used to explain the benefits of group learning in a social context (Zaretsky, 2021). The basic premise is that students often learn more from capable peers than they would if left alone. Cooperative learning, peer tutoring, and modelling are examples of instances of the ZPD theory application. Students with special learning needs (SEN) often struggle with many aspects of everyday life that cause them to withdraw into their comfort zone. It is apparent that students with certain disabilities at an early age already demonstrate a lack of interest in engaging with their teacher or with their peers (Abera et al., 2020; Leinfuss, & O’Hara, 2024). It is therefore crucial for music teachers to keep students with disabilities interested in mixing well and learning with their peers as exemplified in the context of this study.

METHODOLOGY

This study was conducted in the qualitative mode, characterized by what Creswell (2007; Creswell & Inoue, 2025) refers to as the human-as-instrument approach, using a case study design. This description explains the methodological choice for the research since it relied largely on participants for in-depth data on the problem being investigated. Considering the interactive nature of inclusive music education (Hammel & Hourigan, 2017) within the population of staff and students of the Presbyterian College of Education (PCE), the qualitative case study design was deemed fitting. PCE is a teacher preparation institution at Akwapem-Akropong in the Eastern Region of Ghana which matriculates students with diverse learning needs, including typically developing (TD), the visually impaired (VI) and the hearing impaired (HI) students.

Twenty-six (26) participants were sampled for this investigation. Purposively and conveniently, from the total of 57 senior members 6 who were directly involved in the teaching and learning activities of the students were selected. The purposively sampled participants included 1 music lecturer (the only one in the college), the Head of the VI Unit, and the Head of the HI Unit. Furthermore, within the purposive lense, 2 sign language interpreters who were available on the day of sampling were conveniently selected, in addition to the only 1 studio technician in the college. There were only three year groups on campus during the conduct of this study, thus, levels 100, 200, and 300 while level 400 students were off-campus, on internship. Therefore, the level 300 group was selected on the assumption that they had the longest stay on campus, and had more trainee experience to share as compared to the other two lower levels. One class, ‘C’ of the third-year group, was sampled conveniently for the study. It had 46 students on roll, comprising 34 males and 12 females. On the basis of an already existing four-row sitting arrangement in the class, stratified simple random technique was employed to select 20 participants; 5 students from each row (strata).

Data were gathered by means of interviews, focus group discussions (FGD), and observations.

Each lecturer was engaged in a pre-scheduled one-on-one interview. The interviews sought to find out the instructional strategies being used by the lecturers to prepare the students for work in an inclusive environment. Student participants were expected to provide data on their sense of preparedness to teach music in inclusive school settings upon graduation. For the purpose of data triangulation and saturation, additional data were collected through non-participant observation of teaching-learning activities in the classroom. Through thematic analysis of the data as procedurally guided by Braun Clarke (2021; Braun et al., 2023), findings obtained are discusses in the ensuing session. For ethical purposes, pseudonyms are employed in this work.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

Inclusive Music Instructional Strategies at PCE

Finding revealed that strategies employed in preparing the pre-service teachers included recommended ones (Christianson, 2024) such as accommodation, adaptation, and modification. The music lecturer indicated that considering the inclusive nature of the college, his instructional strategies were mostly the rote type. For instance, when teaching a lesson about an instrument, he would begin by mentioning the name of the instrument and playing it to the hearing of the students either live or pre-recorded. He would then let the students hold the instrument and do ‘feel and explore’ on the instrument with the hands. For example, visually-impaired students could feel the black and white keys on the keyboard/piano, explore and identify intervals, pitches and scales. Similarly, they could feel the valves on the trumpet, the strings on the guitar, and the holes on the flute, in addition to names of the parts of the instrument. After that he gave a brief historical and utilitarian account of the instrument, depending on the type of instrument in question. That was followed by gradual explanation of how to produce sounds on the instrument, hence applying the theoretical perspectives in the practical lesson. In the opinion of a visually-impaired participant, it was apparently a difficult task for some of his lecturers at the initial stages but they improved with time, as he recounted an example his learning experience on the trombone thus:

Initially, the lecturer did not know how to teach me the trombone because the trombone has numbers on it, which required sight to use, unlike the trumpet which has valves, and does not necessarily require sight. The trombone requires sliding to specific number positions for specific sounds. So, the man wondered how he could help me know the sliding positions. Finally, he told me to use one of my fingers (which held the slide) to measure the distance from one number to the other (but the numbers were not embossed). So, when you push the sliding bar close to the bell, it is this number/sound; when it goes a little beyond the bell it is that number/sound, and so on. Gradually, it got to a time when I didn’t need to use the finger-measurement anymore. I got the sounds in my head; imagining the sound positions without using the sliding finger to measure distances between pitches. That’s how I went about learning the trombone. (FGD, Paul-VI)

As the students began to practice playing the instrument, the lecturer’s burden lessened in terms of facilitating

the learning process through further questions and answers, demonstrations, imitations, and what he referred to as “hand-to-hand” techniques, being a demonstration of the tactile pedagogy as indicated by Jinghong and Sanmugam, (2025). According to him, there were two dimensions of the “hand-to-hand” technique. The first dimension involved the professor holding the hand(s) of the student with visual impairments to manipulate and play the instrument alongside precise verbal instructions. The second dimension of this technique had to do with students who had multiple impairments like blind -and – deaf or blind-deaf-and-dumb in which cases the service of a language “signer” was required. This information was corroborated by the responses given by the pre-service teacher participants. One of them illustrated it by saying:

Since I have it in mind as a teacher that there are students with special needs as part of my class, first of all I have to consider the kind of special needs students I have in my class. This is necessary because handling visually-impaired students is quite different from handling students who are hearing-impaired. If I am teaching VI students it means that everything, I do in class I have to voice it out, including everything I write on the marker board, or everything that I display on the projector. This will help ensure that they hear whatever I write on the board or show on the projector. (FGD).

Also, another participant explained that if a drawing was involved in the lesson, the teacher had to describe what has been drawn, in a such a way that the visually-impaired student could have a clear image of the object drawn in their minds. “This is necessary because they are no longer using their eyes; they are using their brains to see things. So, I have to paint the picture on their minds.” (FGD,). The participant further indicated that the teacher had to get the actual object which he was talking (teaching) about, or something which was almost the same as that object and let the students touch (feel) it with their hands. Then the picture would reflect in their minds, so that they could understood the concept properly. “In the case of the HI, since they can see, I can write on the board for them to see. The problem with them is that I have to get an interpreter (signer) to them while I talk” (FGD).

Also, it was important to consider the time of a given lesson. With special needs students, their name is “special” so, everything of theirs is “special”. So, you have to treat them “special”. So even the time given to them too must be “special” for them. After class, lecturers have to give them ample time to get the real concept (Interview with Atsu).

Unlike some earlier studies reported unskillfulness of pre-service teachers (Alhassan et al., 2024; Daněk, 2024; Agbenyegah et al., 2023), participants in this investigation demonstrated convincing knowledge and skills required to teach in inclusive music classrooms. About teaching techniques, they indicated that every blind teacher was expected to have another teacher to help set up the classroom, teaching/learning materials, and equipment for their lessons. That teacher (aid) would also control student’s behavior in the class. However, there were other techniques to be used for class control. For example, the blind teacher must know the seating arrangement in the classroom; how the desks were arranged and how the students were seated in class because if the teacher was able to know this, they knew who sat at which place, and who that person was. So, if the desks were arranged in three rows, the teacher must know that in row one, these were the people sitting there. They must know the students by their names and their voices. That would also enable the visually-impaired teacher to know who was speaking/contributing and who was not. They must ensure that students were seated in rows, know which student was seated first, second, third, etc. in each row. The students must not be allowed to change their seating positions unless for rare, unavoidable reasons. The visually-impaired teacher must also be smart at listening in order to identify each student by their voice. When a group of students were misbehaving, and the teacher mentioned one person’s name precisely, they would all stop misbehaving because they knew the teacher could identify them. Should the teacher call out one talkative student, all others would be quiet. That could also help gain students’ attention during the lesson. One of the VI participants recounted his experience in using this strategy as follows:

I used this technique during my teaching practice. When I enter the classroom, and I am teaching, I could hear some people talking in the first row, and not paying attention. So, I would listen to a particular area, say the first row-front, middle, or the back-group where the noise is coming from. The moment I mentioned one person’s name in the area, I take them unawares, and the rest become steady because they feel that the next thing would be me mentioning their names. So, that makes them pay attention. (FGD, VI)

Regarding the hearing-impaired, they also had their sign language masters and other facilities such as hearing aids that could help them. But when it came to students who had mobility problems (for example, amputated legs) and other physical problems, they also had people and equipment including clutches that aided them to attend lectures and participate in other college activities.

Professional Collaboration

Professional collaboration, as advocated for inclusive music instruction (Forlin et al., 2024), assumed various dimensions in the college. At the beginning of each semester, the music professor shared his syllabus with other faculty, staff, and paraprofessionals who would help him in one way or the other. Sharing the syllabus them in advance enabled them to know when a particular lesson would be taught, which roles they would play, what kind of materials and equipment would be needed, and how to prepare toward making the lessons successful. It also makes it possible for us to hold discussions where necessary, on any lesson before and after they are taught.

In terms of specific roles played by the collaborating team members, the study revealed that the English language expert helped the music professor in typing (transcribing) materials that included musical notations into descriptive texts for the visually-impaired students.  Furthermore, the college worked in collaboration with teachers in Akropong School (ASB) who usually offered help for the visually-impaired students at PCE when needed. For instance, braille professionals from ASB sometimes helped to provide brille versions of texts on request. Also, the ICT lecturer contributed by helping magnify texts, and pictures/images for low vision students, thereby maximizing adaptation for the students. While the ICT lecturer did this with materials received from the music teacher, he also offered similar services to individual students who approached him with their requests.

On the part of the hearing-impaired expert, otherwise referred to as the sign language expert or signer, he was available during lessons that involved the hearing-impaired student. During the lesson his role was to interpret all verbal information in sign language for the hearing-impaired students. (See the interpreter in a classroom lesson in

Figure 1 below.) He explained in an interview:

There is always the need to interpret for them although most of them hear sounds; environmental sounds or noise. Let me put it that way. They can hear the sound but what a sound or phoneme specifically means they can’t tell. For instance, when a vehicle toots the horn, they can hear. Also, as I speak now, they can hear me; I mean some can hear my voice as noise, but the impulse of what I am saying they can’t figure out.  For instance, if I do: iiiiiiiii!!!!! (he screamed very loud, and the students laughed, including the hearing-impaired). You see? That’s it. But all that I’ve been saying so far, they can’t tell. So, I always have to interpret for them. … And they also do lip-read or read body language. That also helps them to get what’s being spoken” (Interview with Osbon, HI Unit Head).

Figure 1: (From your right-hand side) Music, PEMD lecturers, and Sign Language Interpreter demonstrating collaborative instruction

In addition to Mr. Osbon, there were eight other professional interpreters who were available to help. “Currently, there are nine interpreters. Three of us do both teaching and interpreting, while the other six are solely for interpreting” (Interview with Osbon, HI Unit Head). Besides the professional interpreters, there were several students who could also help their colleagues with sign language interpretation. The participants referred to the student-interpreters as Assistant Signers. Such students were found to be good at sign language interpretation, which they learned before coming to PCE. Furthermore, music lessons were usually team-taught by the music lecturer and the physical education (P. E.) lecturer. It was so because the two courses were officially merged by the Curriculum and Research Development Division (CRDD) of the Ghana Education Service (GES), and collectively referred to as Physical Education/Music and Dance (PEMD) although each course existed distinctively within the same curriculum. This aspect of the collaboration was evidenced when a participant opined:

Okay, yes, the lecturers do collaboration. We have the hearing-impaired students. So, any class that has a hearing-impaired student must have the sign language master in the class aside the course teacher. That is what sometimes happen. Aside that, two or more lecturers can also teach the same course at the same time. (FGD, Jonny-TD)

For example, a team teaching was observed on the topic “Music in Rites of Passage”. During this lesson I observed that while the music lecturer taught the music, and the dance movements, the Physical Education lecturer (alternating with the music lecturer) took turns to explain the kinesthetics and health benefits that could be derived from the singing and dancing activities for participants (See the P. E. lecturer in the middle, Figure 1 above). In addition to collaborative efforts among faculty and staff members, the study also revealed that some kind of helpful relationship existed among all categories of students to their mutual benefits. As one of the participants expressed it:

Okay! Personally, I would say that while we help the hearing-impaired students in their studies, they also try to teach you somethings. So, when you come to PCE, there are a lot of students who know how to sign because most of us help them. They are our friends; in the classroom too, we are with them. Even with the VI, we are with them in the classrooms, in the halls we are with them, everywhere. So, we learn a lot from them, and they also learn from us. Some of them, when you get closer to them, they will teach you how to braille, how to do the sign language, and a whole lot. So, in fact, they’re our friends! Yeah! We learn a lot from them, and they also learn from us. (FGD, Jonny-TD)

The interdependent relationship among the students was also explained by instances where visually-impaired students were no longer interested in using their white canes to aid their mobility. Contrary to earlier views (Abera et al., 2020; Leinfuss, & O’Hara, 2024), special needs students rather preferred to move in the company of their typically developing friends. Another participant opined that her special needs friends also objected to any form of special treatment because that would keep reminding them of their disabilities.  As Jimmy revealed in a FGD “… there were white canes available at the resource center for the visually-impaired students, which they could use to navigate campus but they did not want to use them”. Therefore, as an alternative way of helping them, they were assigned caretakers (assistants or aids), and they preferred to walk with their aids or friends instead of using the white canes.  Later in an interview, the same view was expressed by another participant who said: “… some don’t want to be given special treatments. They think you want to treat them special because of their impairments. What they rather like most is that we get closer to them, and not trying to treat them special.” (Interview with Ruth-TD). While moving with their typically developing peers, the special needs students assumed some level of sameness with their peers as well as maintaining a sense of self-worth.

Finally, the participants portrayed a school climate that sought to promote what I described as a Safe Psycho-social Environment (SPE). They were happy to indicate that some decades ago, people with disabilities suffered a great deal of discrimination, stigmatization, and rejection in their communities, including the school. Although some traces of such inhumane conditions might still be found in some jurisdictions, the experience at PCE was different. Findings of this research suggest that there was no element of such hostile attitudes among members of the college community toward students with special needs.

I would say that here, because we actually mix with them very well, there’s no problem of stigmatization. We chat with them, we have fun with them, we even play football (sic: soccer) with them. We don’t want to segregate them for them to feel bad. Always, whenever they see you, they have something to tell you. There’s one in my class; a very good friend who jokes with me a lot. Anytime he sees me (sic: meets me), he wants to tell me something about the color of my dress, how my hear cut is, and so on. For instance, he will meet me and say “this blue shirt looks nice on you.” Another time he will tell me “today, you are very ugly” and we all laugh over it. Meanwhile, he is blind! (FGD, Jonny-TD)

That illustration suggested that the special needs students in the college were handled in ways that made them feel loved, accepted, and belonging in the college community. Both psychologically and socially, they felt safe as their typically developing colleagues got closer to them both on the fun side and also on the academic ground. The former learns from the latter and vice versa. They all learned together in the classroom, they were together in focus group discussions, and did group presentations together. “… So, we’re with them in everything that we do, and I’m sure they also benefit in that way…” (FGD, Kingsley-TD). In another focus group discussion, a hearing-impaired student also confirmed the unity in diversity among them, and the fact that it was of mutual benefits to all students.

It’s of benefit to us and to them as well. Because first of all, it takes away the barrier between the normal (sic. typically developing) student and the special (sic: special needs) student. When I say the barrier, I’m talking about the negative mindset that they have had about special students. Society has a different concept about people with special needs. Not everyone understands people with special needs. People think we’re expelled, we’re cursed, we’re unfortunate, in society. But in PCE, they don’t show that character. They love every one of us, and we also love them. So, we have good friendship in the college. By mingling with special students or special people they get to know that the notion I (sic. they) have about these people, that they cannot do anything on their own is wrong. By mingling with them the normal student gets to know that the special needs persons can do somethings on their own. They have potentials that they can develop. They have some kind of blessings in them, that when you mingle with them you may acquire some kind of blessings from them. So, it takes away that kind of barrier. (FGD, Mike-HI)

Furthermore, student participants attested to the view that the lecturers too, were committed to giving the special needs students (and all others) a lot of attention. This attention helped the students not to be concentrating on their impairments, which could cause them distractions from their studies. The lecturers treated them just like anybody else. But there were times that special needs students were given some kind of special attention. For example, during lessons, there were certain things the lecturers would consciously write on the board and draw the attention of the hearing-impaired students to the writings, so that they too could actually know the words, their correct spellings, what they meant, and so on. Another participant alluded to the cordial relationship, saying:

“Me too, Sir! As for stigmatization, I haven’t heard anything of that sort. Even during our orientations, we were taught how to handle them, and even how to handle ourselves; how to stay with them. So, now, we know that anyone can develop a disability at any point in time. So, there’s nothing like stigmatization on the side of the lecturers or even students or anyone in this college. (FGD, Paul-TD)

These views were expressed during FGD, in the presence of both the visually-impaired and the hearing-impaired students, and they did not raise any counter opinions against what had been said. That suggested that what was said about the cordial coexistence in the college was largely true. According to the participants, students were given orientation during their matriculation ceremonies on the need for them to live cordially with each other at all times.

Finally, observations during music lessons revealed some corroboration of information obtained from the FGD and the individual interviews. The music lecturer provided adaptations to meet diverse needs of students in the class. Based on the belief that all students had equal learning potential, lessons were planned, creating opportunities for all learners to achieve the same learning goals. However, with the view to meeting specific needs of the three main categories of students in the class – the visually-impaired, the hearing-impaired, and the typically-developing students- the lecturer used multiple strategies in each lesson. The lesson (PEMD) was team-taught by both the music and the physical education lecturers.   Generally, the lessons involved both theoretical and practical dimensions. The theoretical component included musical concepts like modes (tonality), musical structures, historical information, cultural as well as health-related information. On the other hand, the practical dimension of the lessons had to do with singing songs, handclapping, and demonstrating dance/kinesthetic movements where Physical Education featured prominently. For the benefit of the visually-impaired students, he spoke loud enough, at a moderate pace, pausing, and inviting students to ask questions for further clarifications. Through that, not only the special needs students but also the typically-developing ones sought repetitions and clarifications where they needed them, and the lecturer did so for them. Also, to cater to the needs of the hearing-impaired students, the music lecturer ensured that the hearing-impaired expert (sign language interpreter) was present throughout the lesson, interpreting the verbal communications for the hearing-impaired students.

Students were motivated to participate actively throughout the lesson by the lecturer’s comments such as Great! Good point! Exactly! Thank you! Yes, go on! Several students, from all three main categories contributed in one way or the other, making the lesson interactive, while maintaining discipline in the class. A scaffolding strategy was observable in the lesson presentation as the lecturer guided the discussion of the subject matter in bits, building up the lesson gradually from what students knew already to what was new to them in the lesson. However, I observed that more needed to be done on differentiated instruction, whereby the lecturer would explain a given concept using two or more different instructional approaches. Similarly, there was need for more diversified teaching/learning materials and resources, including the use of modern innovative technology in the lessons. Also, there was quite a little individualized, as well as intra-group/inter-group activities as compared to a whole class focus. That notwithstanding, the lessons were very inclusive, and engaging.

Preparedness of PCE Pre-service Teachers

The pre-service teachers were confident about their preparedness to start inclusive music teaching when they graduate. This perception was evinced in their manner of responding to my question on their perceived levels of preparedness for the job. Ones said: “I am fully prepared. The degree programme in the training college is to prepare us to teach at the basic school level, from KG to JHS 3, and I am prepared for it” (FGD, Kenneth-VI). In a separate meeting, another participant stated her readiness for the job: “I may say, am fully prepared; I am prepared for anything. And I am prepared to teach anywhere in the basic schools” (FGD). However, one of the visually-impaired participants indicated that she would need someone to assist her teaching practice experience. “… For example, when I give assignment, another teacher who is sighted must help me to grade them” (FGD).

Finally, regarding the anticipated arrival of government laptop computers, the participants were only hoping that the said computers would be compatible with their special need software such as the Talkback, the JAWS and the NVDA which are considered useful (Jellison et al. 2017) in inclusive classrooms. If that worked it meant the visually-impaired music teacher would no longer need another teacher to be writing their lesson notes for them. Generally, the policy of teaching in a primary school was that any teacher assigned to a particular class was required to teach all subjects in that class. However, findings revealed that in some schools, it was not required of a teacher to teach all the subjects. Some districts offered a level of flexibility for teachers to do subject-based teaching. With subject-based teaching, individual teachers were assigned specific subjects according to their areas of specialization. Each teacher therefore, taught their specialized subjects (majors) in all the classes, 1- 6. This practice was described by a participant who alluded:

Yes, at the primary school you are supposed to teach all the subjects. But in some schools, you can teach the one you are good at, and other teachers teach the other subjects. We have been going on field experience. We are very much aware that at the JHS, subject teaching is done. But also, at the primary schools there are places that when it is time for mathematics, a teacher will come, when it is time for Music, another teacher will come to teach the class, the same thing happens for all other subjects. That is what I saw when I went on field experience; I was in class five. (FGD, Peter-VI)

Contrary to Opoku’s (2024) argument that teachers are unpreparedness to effectively teach students with SEN, including those with disabilities, the position of this participant reveals a sense of preparedness and confidence as expected of the prospective teacher (Ott, 2022) to teach in inclusive schools. Nonetheless, Peter seems to be having a reflection on his field experience and observes that at the primary school level, all subjects are usually taught by respective class teachers.  While this may be a standard practice in some schools, the mention that “you are supposed to teach all the subjects” but often end up focusing only on a specific subject confirmed the gap in comprehensive teacher training, particularly for inclusive education that this work investigated. The quote also imply that the class teachers were not fully prepared to take on the responsibility of teaching all subjects, using appropriate instructional strategies, a quality which is crucial in an inclusive classroom where teachers are expected to address diverse needs, including those of students with disabilities as Alhassan et al. (2024) postulated.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This qualitative case study sought to investigate instructional strategies being employed in the inclusive music teacher preparation programme at Presbyterian College of Education, Akropong-Akuapem. It also examined perceived state of preparedness among pre-service teachers to teach music in inclusive basic schools.

Findings indicated that the instructional strategies employed at Presbyterian College of Education prioritize inclusivity, focusing on accommodation, adaptation, and modification. It was concluded that these PCE employed strategies that were appropriate for equipping pre-service teachers with the necessary tools to adapt their music instruction for diverse learners, and the aligned properly with global goals and practices of inclusive teacher preparation programmes.

Furthermore, perceived preparedness of pre-service teachers was high, although some would need the services of aides. Pre-service teachers at the college were exposed to a variety of inclusive teaching strategies, enabling them cultivate a high sense of preparedness to teach music in inclusive basic schools. They demonstrated a high sense of preparedness for their music teaching career except that some seldom require aides during administration and grading of exercises, quizzes, and examinations. Finally, there was extensive reliance on rote music teaching and learning.  While the rote methodology could be effective in some contexts, it may limit the development of deeper acquisition of music reading skills which is highly required for effective music instruction in the inclusive classroom.

Besides,with view to further boosting success of the music programme at Presbyterian College of Education lecturer are encouraged to intensify integration of a broader range of teaching strategies, beyond rote approach since this will add the music reading dimension to the skills acquisition of the pre-service teachers. Additional strategies could include differentiated instruction, active learning, tactile techniques, and more of the technology-assisted methods that foster engagement and responsiveness to diverse learning needs.

It was also recommended that the opportunities be expanded for pre-service teachers to engage in broader professional collaborations with fellow students and experienced teachers, especially with the Music Education, and Special Education Departments University of Education, to which the College was affiliated. This will provide them with added exposure other students as well experts while exchanging experiences on challenges and successes of inclusive music teaching and refining their skills in a supportive, collaborative environment beyond their college confinement. Future research was suggested to investigate inclusive practices in other pre-service teacher preparation institutions across the country.

Ethical Approval: The author confirmed that prior ethical approval was obtained from both the Head of the institution and informed consent from the participants involved in this study.

Conflict of Interest: The author disclosed that there are no potential conflicts of interest associated with this study.

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