129 JURNAL KEPENDIDIKAN Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 129-142 P-ISSN: 2580-5525│E-ISSN: 2580-5533 https://journal.uny.ac.id/index.php/jk/ Science and special education teachers create inclusive classroom practice in science: Are they working interdependently? Jamil Suprihatiningrum 1 *, Carolyn Palmer 2 , and Carol Aldous 2 1 UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta Indonesia 2 Flinders University, South Australia *email: jamil.suprihatiningrum@uin-suka.ac.id Abstract: The purpose of this research was to examine how co-teachers collaborate interdependently to make the science classroom inclusive for all students. Seven participants; two science teachers of School Smart; two science teachers of School Brainy; support teachers of School Smart and Brainy respectively; and Lily, the head of the inclusion program of School Brainy were selected purposively. As a qualitative description study, data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and instructional document analysis. Data collected were analyzed through a deductive approach using co-teaching as a predetermined framework. The findings indicate that the co-teachers in two schools were teaching collaboratively through co-planning, co- instructing, and co-assessing. Co-teachers from both schools claimed that most of the time spent collaborating was on co-instruction rather than co-planning and co-assessment. In School Smart, the co-teaching between science and the support teacher, called an alternative teaching model, is operating more effectively in terms of planning, scheduled meetings to discuss instructional planning and its implementation compared to School Brainy. Co-teachers in School Smart work more interdependently and collaboratively than the co-teachers in School Brainy. Keywords: science inclusive practice, co-teaching, collaborative teaching, independent classroom practice How to cite (APA 7 th Style): Suprihatiningrum, J., Palmer, C., & Aldous, C. (2022). Science and special education teachers create inclusive classroom practice in science: Are they working interdependently? Jurnal Kependidikan, 6(2), 129-142. doi:10.21831/jk.v6i2.49858. INTRODUCTION Welcoming students with disabilities (SWD) into the general classroom in developing countries has been a challenging issue (Sharma, Forlin, Deppeler,& Yang, 2013), and such is portrayed by Indonesia. Minister of National Education Regulation (Permendiknas) No. 70 of 2009 has mandated that SWD can attend the general education system to learn with their peers. At the school level, however, teachers still struggle with including SWD in their classrooms. When SWD feel welcome in the regular science classroom and teachers engage in strategies to support the inclusion of SWD, inclusive practices are demonstrated. The effectiveness of inclusive practice can be indicated when teachers engage in working together with their colleagues and professionals (Salend, 2011) as well as parents (Collier, Keefe, & Hirrel, 2015) in the way they prepare teaching and learning to support SWD in the general education classroom.