The aim of this study is to examine the teachers' attitudes toward the inclusion of students with special educational needs, in public schools and how these attitudes are influenced by their self-efficacy perceptions. The sample is comprised of 416 preschool, primary and secondary education teachers. The results show that, in general, teachers develop positive attitude toward the inclusive education. Higher self-efficacy was associated rather with their capacity to come up against negative experiences at school, than with their attitude toward disabled learners in the classroom and their ability to meet successfully the special educational needs students. The results are consistent with similar studies and reveal the need of establishing collaborative support networks in school districts and the development of teacher education programs, in order to achieve the enrichment of their knowledge and skills to address diverse needs appropriately.
Nowadays, teaching in a diverse students’ needs environment is a common situation emerged in the school community. In order for all the students to access the good of education and become a part of the school society, it is needed to be acceptable by teachers in the general school, who have to implement an appropriate instruction procedure to meet pupils’ needs successfully. Suitable teaching depends on teachers’ attitudes toward the inclusion of all the students independently and especially for those who show special educational needs. In the current study, participated 373 preschool, primary and secondary educators who teach in the Greek mainstream school. The participants completed the “Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education Scale” [1] [2]. The findings showed that teachers hold reserved attitudes toward the inclusion of students with physical disabilities and academic difficulties, but they hold favorable attitudes for behavior problem and social difficulties students. Comparisons were conducted using other variables, which exert influence on teachers’ attitudes. The results observed show the necessity of establishing supporting services in the school and organizing appropriate training programs in order for the teachers to acquire the theoretical background and skills to implement inclusive practices effectively.
Social environment consists of a vital place where all human beings can run their lives and participate in a multidimensional way in the daily activities of life. In that environment, people express their thoughts, feelings and behavior, developing in order to communicate and share their lives with the others. All these expressions consist attitudes that influence the way they co-exist with everyone in the society. Each member of the society possesses unique abilities and special needs and contribute in an important grade in the promotion of social living. Studying attitudes of individuals towards disability is useful as a key factor in integrating these individuals into society. The present study involved 150 people who completed the Attitudes Towards Persons with Disabilities (ATDP-Form B) scale. The results showed that overall a moderately positive attitude towards people with disabilities develops, without any differences between the groups in terms of gender, year of birth, educational level, contact with a friend or relative with a disability. Interpretations of the results are commented based on existing research.
Η μόρφωση των μελλοντικών πολιτών η οποία υλοποιείται στο σχολικό πλαίσιο, συνεχίζεται σε ακαδημαϊκό επίπεδο, καλλιεργείται και επεκτείνεται και κατά τη διάρκεια της εργασιακής απασχόλησης, στα πλαίσια της δια βίου μάθησης. Ο θεσμός της συμπεριληπτικής εκπαίδευσης περιλαμβάνει την ισότιμη συμμετοχή, στο σχολικό πλαίσιο, όλων των μαθητών, ανεξαρτήτως των ιδιαίτερων εκπαιδευτικών αναγκών που παρουσιάζουν. Στην παρούσα έρευνα, που έχει σκοπό να μελετήσει τις απόψεις και τις στάσεις μαθητών, εκπαιδευτικών και φοιτητών παιδαγωγικών σχολών συμμετείχαν 396 παιδιά προσχολικής ηλικίας, 1066 μαθητές, που φοιτούν σε σχολεία πρωτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης, 1348 μαθητές που φοιτούν σε σχολεία δευτεροβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης, 373 εκπαιδευτικοί των τριών βαθμίδων εκπαίδευσης και 348 φοιτητές παιδαγωγικών σχολών, προσχολικής και πρωτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης. Για τη διερεύνηση των απόψεων των μαθητών προσχολικής ηλικίας εφαρμόστηκε η μέθοδος της συνέντευξης, με ερωτήσεις ανοιχτού τύπου (PSSHP, Esposito & Peach, 1983; Dyson, 2005). Για την εξέταση των στάσεων των μαθητών πρωτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης χορηγήθηκε το ερωτηματολόγιο αυτοαναφοράς για μαθητές Πρωτοβάθμιας Εκπαίδευσης σχετικά με τις στάσεις τους για τους μαθητές με αναπηρία ή / και ειδικές εκπαιδευτικές ανάγκες (Gash, 1993; Gash & Coffey, 1995; Gash, 1996). Επίσης, για τους μαθητές δευτεροβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης χρησιμοποιήθηκε η κλίμακα αυτοαναφοράς σχετικά με τις στάσεις των μαθητών απέναντι στους μαθητές με αναπηρία ή / και ειδικές εκπαιδευτικές ανάγκες (CATCH), (Rosenbaum, et al., 1986). Οι στάσεις των εκπαιδευτικών και των φοιτητών παιδαγωγικών σχολών διερευνήθηκαν με την Κλίμακα Στάσεων σχετικά με τη συμπεριληπτική εκπαίδευση μαθητών με αναπηρία ή / και ειδικές εκπαιδευτικές ανάγκες (Wilczenski, 1992; 1995). Οι μαθητές εκφράζουν γενικά λιγότερο θετικές στάσεις, οι οποίες τείνουν προς την αποδοχή της συμπεριληπτικής εκπαίδευσης των μαθητών με ειδικές εκπαιδευτικές ανάγκες, δηλώνουν τη δεκτική τους διάθεση τους σε ένα τυπικό, κοινωνικό πλαίσιο, και εμφανίζουν πρόθυμη στάση, ώστε να επεκτείνουν την κοινωνική αλληλεπίδραση, όταν πρόκειται για μαθητές που φοιτούν στον νηπιαγωγείο και στις πρώτες τάξεις του δημοτικού σχολείου. Εκπαιδευτικοί και φοιτητές διάκεινται γενικά θετικά στη συμπερίληψη των μαθητών με ειδικές εκπαιδευτικές ανάγκες, κυρίως όταν πρόκειται για μαθητές με προβλήματα συμπεριφοράς και κοινωνικές δυσκολίες, ενώ εμφανίζουν λιγότερο θετική στάση, για μαθητές που παρουσιάζουν σωματική αναπηρία και προβλήματα σχολικής επίδοσης. Τα αποτελέσματα μελετώνται με βάση δημογραφικές μεταβλητές, που σύμφωνα με τη βιβλιογραφία, ασκούν επίδραση και επηρεάζουν τη διαμόρφωση των στάσεων. Η παρούσα έρευνα συμβάλλει στη διερεύνηση των απόψεων και των στάσεων των μελών του εκπαιδευτικού συστήματος, προκειμένου να εντοπιστεί η διαθεσιμότητά τους για την αποδοχή των μαθητών με ειδικές εκπαιδευτικές ανάγκες και οι προϋποθέσεις για την βελτίωση των στάσεων που εκφράζουν.
The present research is aimed to assess secondary general education students" attitudes concerning the inclusion of their peers with special educational needs and to reveal the determinants that are associated to their attitudes. The survey involved 1348 secondary students, who attend the Greek general school and completed the Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes Toward Children with Handicaps Scale, (CATCH), (Rosenbaum, et al., 1986). The results showed that students adopt generally neutral attitudes concerning their classmates with a special need. A complex of variables, like gender, school grade, year of birth, age, place of residence, contact with a friend with special needs, disability type, disability grade and having a member with disability in the family or in the extended family environmenthave a differentiating effect on students" attitudes on their peers with disability. The research underlined the importance of reinforcing children" s attitudes concerning their special needs peers, in order for the policy of inclusive education to be implemented successfully.
The school community consists of an environment where every child has the right to participate and share the good of the educational process. In that thinking, students dispose of different needs that have to be satisfied in a context where the values of respect and equality emerge as basic foundations of the instructive environment. Consequently, inclusion practices appear to be as the prerequisite of education for all in the general school surroundings. Teachers who are responsible for planning and applying the educational process play an important role in the implementation of inclusive practices. Especially, these educational methods are influenced by educators’ attitudes and determine the extent and the level of inclusion strategies. In the present study, participated 154 teachers of primary and secondary general education in Greece. The participants completed the Multidimensional Attitudes towards Inclusive Education Scale (MATIES) (Mahat, 2008). In general, according to the results, teachers expressed positive attitudes toward inclusion. Correlations were calculated in relation to other variables that affect teachers’ attitudes according to the research. The results emerged as directions of providing support services in the school community and organizing suitable education programs for in-service teachers in the school and academic domain.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0001/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>
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