Relationship quality between teachers and their students is a critical aspect for well-being and effective learning in school. Accordingly, teacher training should promote competencies for creating and maintaining positive relationships in the classroom. The Helga Breuninger Foundation developed a video-based online training (Intus³) that intends to focus on student teachers' interpersonal competencies by reflecting on staged videos. Although this training is well-designed, there is only little empirical evidence in general and so far no experimental research investigating the effects of Intus³. Accordingly, we investigated whether this program is able to improve the capacities of student teachers' interpersonal competencies, affective well-being, and affective attitudes toward challenging students. We conducted two randomized experimental studies (n1 = 132, n2 = 242) within lectures in teacher education at the University of Potsdam, introducing the basics of inclusive education in two consecutive semesters. We compared groups first working with Intus³ to waiting control groups that wrote an expository text based on empirical research discussing the relevance of teacher–student relationships with a longitudinal design with four measurement points. Latent change models showed that prior work with Intus³ showed few effects but complex effects in comparison to the prior text work groups. In the larger and extended study 2, an increase of empathic concern was significant after the prior work with Intus³. The results will be discussed with the perspective of the potential of further development of online training courses for affective learning for teachers and teacher students.

Background: Counseling self-efficacy is a relevant measure to examine trainees’ beliefs about their counseling skills. This study aimed to validate three scales of the revised German version of the Counselor Activity Self-Efficacy Scales (CASES-R) measuring basic counseling skills. To ascertain the scales’ sensitivity to change, counseling self-efficacy was assessed before and after specific training. Method: The sample comprised 163 university students enrolled either in psychology or education. Students were examined before and after participating in training focusing on basic counseling skills. We applied confirmatory factor analysis and tested internal consistency, convergent validity, and criterion validity. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the three-factor structure of the CASES-R scales for basic counseling skills. The scales provided acceptable to good internal consistency (α = 0.77 − 0.87). Significant relations with general self-efficacy (r =.23, p <.01) provided first indication for convergent validity. We also found a significant correlation of the CASES-R with positive affect (r =.22), and significant correlations of some subscales with empathetic concern (r =.16 −.21) and mastery goal orientation (r =.16), overall supporting criterion validity. The CASES-R scales proved to be sensitive to change, as participants’ scores were higher after (M = 6.18, SD = 1.05) than before (M = 5.37, SD = 1.16) counseling training (F(1, 309) = 42.27, p <.001). Conclusion: We found support for the proposed factor structure and reliability of the German version of the three CASES-R scales, indicating its suitability for use in basic counseling settings. Future research should further examine the scales’ validity.

Zusammenfassung: Gerechtigkeitserleben spielt eine zentrale Rolle für produktives Wohlbefinden in der Schule und trägt zum Zugehörigkeitsgefühl bei. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht in einem experimentellen Design, wie die Berücksichtigung sonderpädagogischer Förderbedarfe im Sinne des Bedarfsprinzips Gerechtigkeitsbeurteilungen von SchülerInnen-Lehrkraft-Interaktionen beeinflusst. Eine Stichprobe von 275 Lehramtsstudierenden gab an, wie gerecht sie die in Textvignetten beschriebenen Unterrichtssituationen beurteilte. Es zeigte sich ein bedeutsamer Einfluss des Vorhandenseins sonderpädagogischer Förderbedarfe im „Förderschwerpunkt emotionale-soziale Entwicklung“ sowie ein signifikanter Einfluss aus der Kombination von Förderbedarfen im Bereich „Lernen“ und des gerechtigkeitstheoretischen Fokus’ der Vignetten (Verteilungsfragen oder zwischenmenschliche Gerechtigkeitsfragen). Eine Nichtbeachtung des Bedarfsprinzips in inklusiven Unterrichtssituationen führte tendenziell zu einer weniger gerechten Unterrichtswahrnehmung. Eine zusätzliche Information über eine explizite Diagnose beeinflusste die Gerechtigkeitsurteile der Befragten nicht. Die Ergebnisse weisen darauf hin, dass das Bedarfsprinzip in der Beurteilung schulischer Interaktionen bereits bei Lehramtsstudierenden eine Rolle spielt.

Background: The study was grounded in the recent developments of implementing the United Nations Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in schools in Uganda, leading to a renewed interest in the questionings about inclusive education. Objectives: The inclusive approach was evaluated in terms of: (1) how public or private schools in Uganda understand inclusive education; (2) how schools implement inclusive education under the influence of the UN Convention; and (3) what determines the course of action and school routine of private and state schools. Methods: This exploratory qualitative research included interviews with six schools purposively selected in Mukono, Wakiso and Kampala districts of Central Uganda. The selected schools comprised three private and three state schools (i.e. representing primary and secondary schools and a vocational training institute). Results: The research demonstrated that 'inclusive education practice' that was upheld by all the schools, was ironically stained with exclusion, for example, by non-admission of students with visual and hearing impairment, inaccessible physical environment, inadequate funding and separation of students according to abilities. However, whilst all schools followed the regular curriculum, some schools developed their own ways of teaching learners with diverse learning needs.Conclusion: Some schools in Uganda have developed meaningful approaches of including students with disabilities but there are still many challenges for many. Enforcing Uganda's disability policies adapted from the CRPDs could enable learners with disabilities to enjoy their legal rights.Contribution: Since the intention of inclusion of students with disabilities stands in contrast to the reality of practice found in many schools, there seems to be a need to carry out regular assessments and measures of support for a sustainable inclusive school development.

Attitudes have gained much attention for supporting the successful implementation of inclusive education. There is evidence that students' attitudes towards joint lessons with students with special educational needs (SEN) affect peer relations in classrooms. But much less is currently known about the relationships between teachers' and students' attitudes and their effects on inclusive processes. This paper draws on social referencing theory to frame how teachers may affect students' attitudes. It postulates that students' attitudes towards peers with SEN and inclusive practices are affected by their teachers' attitudes towards students with SEN and inclusive practices. It also examines how teachers' and students' attitudes relate to classroom climate and social integration. Using a sample of 1.365 German 6th and 7th graders from 64 classes, we run a series of multilevel path models to investigate relationships between teachers' and students' attitudes with social integration and classroom climate. Attitudes are differentiated by a cognitive and affective facet and by whether they relate to students with emotional–social difficulties (SEN‐ESD) or learning difficulties. Results show social referencing for cognitive attitudes towards inclusive practices for students with SEN‐ESD. Results also indicate that teachers' cognitive attitudes and students' affective attitudes directly affect social integration and classroom climate.