Instructional Adaptation and Teachers’ Productivity in Inclusive Education Classrooms with Learners with Autism

Students in our schools are educated in inclusive settings now more than ever before. Autism spectrum disorders are lifelong developmental disabilities that can impact how people understand what they see, hear and otherwise sense. The present study that was carried out in Mezam Division of the North West Region of Cameroon, was aimed at examining the effects of instructional adaptation on teachers’ productivity in classrooms with learners with autism. Specifically, the study was guided by three objectives, namely, to examine the effects of ipsative assessment on teachers’ productivity in classrooms with learners with autism; to assess the effects of one to one instruction on teachers’ productivity in classrooms with learners with autism; and to investigate the effects of collaborative learning on teachers’ productivity in classrooms with learners with autism. Theoretically, the study made use of Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory of cognitive development; Tchombe’s theory of mediated mutual reciprocity; Bandura’s self-efficacy and social cognitive theory. Methodologically, the study made use of mixed research method with the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis. A concurrent nested design was used for the study. A sample of 15 teachers who had children with autism was selected from inclusive schools within the Division. The study was conducted using three instruments for data collection, namely questionnaire for teachers, observation guide for children with autism and focus group discussion guide for teachers. The findings of the study revealed that collaborative learning significantly predicts productivity, explaining 87.9% of its variation. For every unit increase in collaborative learning, productivity increases by 0.603, while age negatively affects productivity (β = -2.064, p = 0.006). One-to-one instruction significantly predicts teacher productivity, explaining 83.7% of its variation. For every unit increase in one-to-one instruction, productivity increases by 0.597 (β = 0.597, p = 0.004). Ipsative assessment has a positive and statistically significant impact on teacher productivity. The coefficient for ipsative assessment is 0.631 with a standard error of 0.166 and a p-value of 0.004. It is therefore recommended that teachers should provide children with autism with clear assessment rules that do no lead to competition with other learners but concentrate on their previous and current learning outcomes.