Attitudes of Indian and Polish teachers towards inclusion of children and youth with disabilities in regular classrooms. A comparative analysis

Abstract

Education of children with disabilities across the globe has been gradually evolving from segregation towards inclusion. The systems in Poland and India have also been following this path, yet due to their own unique historical, cultural, and social contexts, these countries have adopted rather dissimilar approaches to the process of inclusion. What is presented in this report are the results of the study, which aimed to explore both the attitudes of Polish and Indian teachers towards inclusive education of students with special educational needs resulting from mild to moderate disabilities and the significance of selected factors for their differentiation. Polish teachers generally declared more positive attitudes than Indian teachers. Two variables in Indian teachers (the location of the school where the respondents worked and personal contacts with people with disabilities) and one variable in Polish teachers (seniority) turned out to be important in differentiating their attitudes towards inclusion. Implication for practice and further research are discussed.