Equity-related patterns in pedagogical co-teaching for inclusive education: a six-week pre–post study of primary students’ perceptions of learning, participation, and social climate

Abstract

This study examines equity-related patterns in students’ perceptions within pedagogical co-teaching contexts in primary education. It explores learning, participation, and social climate perceptions before and after a six-week. An exploratory quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design was applied with 169 students. Paired-sample t-tests, cluster analysis, and mixed ANOVAs were used to compare changes in perception across time and baseline groups. Mixed ANOVAs suggested an observed convergence pattern, with students who initially reported lower perceptions showing modest increases and those with higher initial perceptions showing minor decreases; however, ANCOVA sensitivity analyses indicated that this pattern was substantially attenuated after controlling for baseline scores. No clear descriptive pattern differentiated the four classroom contexts, although model-related effects could not be isolated from classroom, grade, or teacher-pair characteristics. Findings indicate a tentative observed-score convergence pattern, with narrower gaps between students reporting initially lower and higher perceptions. Given the exploratory pre–post design, this pattern should not be interpreted as causal evidence that co-teaching reduced disparities. Model labels alone appeared insufficient to explain short-term perception trajectories, while collaboration quality and shared pedagogical vision remain plausible issues for future research. These findings suggest convergence in perceived classroom experiences may offer a useful, exploratory lens for examining equity-related patterns.