Shaping an inclusive environment in an EFL classroom

Every child should have an equal opportunity for success. Inclusive education is therefore the main goal of the contemporary education system. When we aim for inclusion, we aim for a change in the education system. This means that the child is not supposed to be made to fit in; the change is supposed to happen to the system. Previous research that dealt with inclusion in Croatia focused on attitudes and beliefs of teachers, however, there had not been enough research done on how the inclusive practice looks like in EFL classrooms. Based on that, the aim of this research was to examine inclusive practice in Croatian EFL classrooms. To collect the data an online questionnaire was used. Ninety-eight Croatian EFL teachers participated in this research study. Sixty-eight did not attend a course about inclusion or about students with disabilities during their higher education, and twenty-six did not attend any professional development programmes related to these topics. Teachers felt most prepared to teach students with specific learning difficulties. They believed that it was the hardest to provide inclusive EFL teaching to students with autism. The results showed that not enough experts from the field of educational rehabilitation were employed in Croatian schools. Although most teachers consulted with someone about students with disabilities, 54.1% claimed that the information they received was not enough. Since 40 teachers were not sure whether their practice was inclusive, the importance of professional development programmes which help teachers expand their knowledge and gain competencies to work with children with disabilities is undeniable. The three most frequently mentioned factors that presented problems with the inclusion of students with disabilities in an EFL classroom were time, giving attention to students and parents