Inside or Outside the Domain: Homeroom Teachers' Professional Identity and the Implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in Inclusive Classrooms

Abstract

This study investigates the professional identity and pedagogical efficacy of general education homeroom teachers navigating inclusive education through the framework of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Utilizing a mixed-methods concurrent triangulation design, data were collected from a quantitative sample of general education teachers via structured surveys and a qualitative cohort of homeroom educators via semi-structured depth interviews. The results reveal a striking "Efficacy-Practice Paradox": while educators exhibit highly favorable ethical attitudes toward the overarching philosophy of inclusion, their subjective self-efficacy regarding the practical implementation of accessibility remains critically low. Crucially, despite this structural anxiety, their operational execution of UDL diversification strategies in the classroom is remarkably high. Multiple linear regressions demonstrate that moral and ideological commitment to social equity serves as the primary predictor of instructional diversification, whereas formal technical self-efficacy holds no predictive validity. Qualitative analysis underscores how educators construct a hybrid psycho-pedagogical identity, dynamically utilizing digital tools and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to cultivate classroom equity and bypass student barriers. The study highlights that inclusive teacher identity is constructed "bottom-up" through ethical imperatives rather than technical confidence, and underscores why homeroom teachers experience significantly greater structural burnout due to frontline containment demands. Ultimately, the paper calls for a systemic shift from brief theoretical training toward sustained, in-situ clinical mentoring.