Researchers at Nagaland University have developed and pilot-tested a 50-item assessment tool to evaluate how well prospective teachers understand inclusive education, addressing a gap in teacher preparation and providing a basis for assessing the readiness of future teachers to handle diverse learning needs.
The tool is designed to measure knowledge of inclusive education concepts, policies and classroom practices, an area that existing assessments often overlook in favour of teachers’ attitudes and confidence in handling inclusive classrooms.
The study was conducted by Aseto Iralu Meyase, Research Scholar, and Prof. Gyanendra Nath Tiwari of the Department of Teacher Education, Nagaland University. The findings have been published in the International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS.2026.100801133).
Based on the university’s B.Ed. Course-10, titled ‘Creating an Inclusive School’, the test covers five areas, including special needs, educational policies and provisions, inclusive classroom practices and support networks. Its questions assess different levels of understanding, from recalling information to applying knowledge, analysing situations and evaluating possible solutions.
The researchers initially developed 60 questions and tested them on 42 M.Ed. students at the university’s Kohima Campus. After examining the difficulty level of each question, its ability to distinguish between stronger and weaker performers, and the overall consistency of the test, 10 questions were removed.
Meyase said the revised 50-item test recorded an improvement in internal consistency, measured through Cronbach’s alpha, from 0.641 to 0.727. He said further testing involving larger and more diverse groups of trainee teachers would be necessary to establish its reliability across different settings.
Prof. Tiwari said questions requiring students to apply and analyse knowledge performed better, indicating the importance of assessing whether prospective teachers can use what they have learned rather than merely recall information.
Nagaland University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Jagadish K. Patnaik said the research addressed an important gap in teacher preparation and could help strengthen B.Ed. programmes, particularly in Nagaland and the North-East. He said inclusive education was essential to ensuring equitable learning opportunities for children irrespective of their individual needs and backgrounds.
The researchers said the study was a pilot exercise and did not establish whether higher test scores would translate into better teaching practices or improved student outcomes. Further testing across teacher education institutions would be required to establish the tool’s wider applicability.
The research is particularly relevant to Nagaland, where Nagaland University offers the M.Ed. programme. The researchers said the assessment method could also be adapted by other North-Eastern states to develop tools suited to their respective teacher education curricula and local requirements.