Abstract:

Persistent educational inequities require teacher education programmes to move beyond technical models of inclusion toward transformative frameworks grounded in social justice. This study aimed to critically examine how teacher education can be reframed to advance equity by empowering pre-service teachers to enact inclusive pedagogies. The research was located within the transformative paradigm, which foregrounds issues of power, marginalisation and systemic injustice, and was theoretically informed by Transformative Learning Theory, emphasising critical reflection and perspective transformation as catalysts for praxis. The study employed a Participatory Action Learning and Action Research (PALAR) design to position pre-service teachers as co-constructors of knowledge within iterative cycles of critical dialogue, action, and reflection. The PALAR process disrupted hierarchical knowledge production and created emancipatory learning spaces in which participants interrogated deficit discourses, examined structural barriers to learning, and redesigned pedagogical practices. Data were generated through focus group discussion and photovoice, and were thematically analysed. Findings indicate that structured critical dialogue and collaborative inquiry fostered shifts in participants’ beliefs about learner diversity, strengthened their agency, and enhanced their capacity to design flexible and responsive pedagogies. Participants demonstrated increased confidence in differentiating instruction and proactively addressing barriers to learning. Importantly, the process cultivated critical consciousness and a commitment to inclusive practice as a social justice agenda. The study concludes that transformative, participatory approaches are essential for cultivating critically conscious educators. The implications contribute to scholarship on transformative teacher education and provide a praxis-based model for advancing equity in diverse educational contexts.

Keywords:

Equity, Inclusive classrooms, inclusive pedagogies, pre-service teacher, social justice.