Teachers’ Needs Analysis for Designing an Inclusive Mathematics Assessment Training Program

Abstract

Inclusive mathematics classrooms require teachers to collect, interpret, and act on assessment evidence from students with diverse needs, yet assessment training programs are seldom designed from systematic evidence of what teachers already do and still need. Using the analysis and exploration phase of Educational Design Research (EDR), this study identified teachers’ needs as empirical requirements for designing an assessment training program in inclusive mathematics education. Data were collected from 42 elementary school teachers in Bandung, Indonesia, through a needs-analysis questionnaire and from three public inclusive elementary schools through document analysis and semi-structured interviews with principals. Questionnaire data were analyzed descriptively, qualitative data were analyzed thematically, and all sources were triangulated. Teachers reported frequent assessment practice across five domains, and most had never attended training specific to inclusive mathematics assessment. Documents and interviews, however, showed that assessment evidence was seldom recorded, interpreted, and used systematically for individualized instruction. Diagnostic assessment was both the strongest perceived competency need and the most frequently selected training content, followed by assessment adaptation and differentiation. Teachers preferred hands-on workshops and usable modules, and most requested post-training mentoring. These convergent findings were translated into requirements for a training program that is practical (teachers produce assessment artifacts), contextualized (authentic school cases), adaptive (adjustment to student characteristics), and sustainable (a one-day workshop followed by mentoring). The study contributes a triangulated, design-oriented needs-analysis model that links reported practice, documented gaps, and teacher preferences to the subsequent EDR design phase.