Teacher agency for inclusion: a study on the attitudes of pre‑service support teachers

This paper explores the concept of teacher agency for inclusive education, focus- ing on the application of European Union education policies in the Italian school system. The concept of agency, defined as the teacher’s ability to act in a proac- tive and transformative way within educational contexts, emerges as a crucial trajec- tory for the implementation of successful inclusive practices. Through a grounded theory qualitative analysis, this study explores the perceptions of 263 Italian pre- service support teachers regarding their role as members of an inclusive profes- sional learning community. The analysis of the participants’ narratives highlights the importance of integrating attitudes, knowledge and competences in creating inclusive learning environments. The conceptual model presented in this paper is derived from the qualitative analysis of pre-service support teachers’ perceptions of themselves as agents of change and is categorised under three domains: reflexiv- ity, collaboration and transformation. The findings suggest how teacher training and inclusive education policies, aligned with European regulations and evidence from international academic research, should be designed to promote teacher agency that fosters effective practice.