An Investigation into the Attitude Toward Special Education Curriculum and Teaching of Special Education Teachers: The Data from China’s Guangdong Province

Abstract

To further understand the curriculum and teaching attitude of teachers in special education schools in Guangdong Province, this study adopted a stratified whole-group unequal probability sampling method and selected 768 teachers from special education schools in Guangdong Province’s 21 cities for a questionnaire survey. The data on special education teachers’ attitudes towards special education curriculum and teaching were selected. Descriptive statistics, one-sample t-test, independent sample t-test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data and compared with the data of special education teachers’ attitudes towards special education curriculum and teaching in the National Survey of Special Education Teacher Professional Development (NSETPDS). The results indicated that the cognitive response of special education teachers in Guangdong Province to the special education curriculum and teaching attitude is positive (M=1.81, SD=0.51), significantly higher than that of the national special education teachers. The emotional response and general attitude were positive but significantly lower than that of the national special education teachers. The attitude of male special education teachers toward the special education curriculum and teaching was significantly higher than that of female special education teachers. Special education teachers with more than 20 years of teaching experience had a more positive attitude towards special education curriculum and teaching than those with 1-5 years of teaching experience. Based on the analysis of the research results, some suggestions are put forward to provide a basis for the professional development of teachers in Guangdong Province.