Attitudes of Mainstream and Special-Education Teachers toward Intellectual Disability in Italy: The Relevance of Being Teachers

Abstract

The attitudes of teachers toward intellectual disability (ID) contribute to an effective school inclusion of students with ID, thereby enhancing their quality of life. The present study was aimed at investigating the attitude differences toward ID of mainstream and special-education teachers in Italy and the general and specific teachers’ characteristics most related to these attitudes. An online version of the Attitudes toward Intellectual Disability (ATTID) questionnaire was filled by 307 mainstream teachers and 237 special-education teachers. The findings show that special-education teachers held more positive attitudes. Specific ATTID dimensions were positively affected for both types of teachers by previous training in special education/ID, perceived support, and promotion of positive attitudes toward ID, in addition to the quality of relationships with individuals with ID, while they were positively affected for special-education teachers by perceived efficacy of ID knowledge. No or very limited effects were observed for previous experience in teaching students with typical development or ID (even with severe/profound ID). Fostering resources to provide teachers with high-quality training, support, and resources and strategies to promote positive attitudes toward ID seems a relevant approach leading to favorable attitudes, thereby improving the quality of life of students with ID.

Reliability and Validity of the Arabic Version of Attitudes Towards Intellectual Disability Questionnaire-Short Form (A-ATTID-S)

“… 32 , 55 The original ATTID questionnaire was adapted for a sample of Italian teachers. 56 The Italian version respects the tripartite attitude and consists of five factors divided into 70 items. Fit indices were acceptable for RMSEA and SRMR but poor for the CFI and TLI.…”

Predictors of individual quality of life in young people with Down syndrome.

“…One possible explanation is that students in special education schools may be being compared to their peers with more severe emotional and behavioral challenges. This is also probably due to special education teachers' more positive attitudes toward disability (Arcangeli et al, 2020), prompting them to pay more QOL IN DOWN SYNDROME 7 attention to their pupils' emotional state and provide more supports aimed at preventing behavioral disturbances (e.g., taking measures to make the environment more predictable, informing students in advance about activities and possible changes, and reflecting on whether students enjoy the activities they are given). These findings highlight the need for mainstream education teachers to receive specific training and to adopt positive attitudes toward ID (Alcedo et al, 2013;Arcangeli et al, 2020).…”

“…This is also probably due to special education teachers' more positive attitudes toward disability (Arcangeli et al, 2020), prompting them to pay more QOL IN DOWN SYNDROME 7 attention to their pupils' emotional state and provide more supports aimed at preventing behavioral disturbances (e.g., taking measures to make the environment more predictable, informing students in advance about activities and possible changes, and reflecting on whether students enjoy the activities they are given). These findings highlight the need for mainstream education teachers to receive specific training and to adopt positive attitudes toward ID (Alcedo et al, 2013;Arcangeli et al, 2020). In addition, it is important to pay particular attention to the issues of bullying and cyberbullying; emotional and behavioral problems put youth with ID at greater risk of exposure to bullying (Martínez-Cao et al, 2021), and there is an increasing risk of this population engaging in cyberbullying or being cyberbullied (Iglesias et al, 2019).…”

Improving the Training of Support Teachers in Italy: The Results of a Research on Attitudes Aimed at Students with Intellectual Disabilities

“…The questionnaire was translated into Italian, subjected to field test, and validated (Arcangeli et al 2020). Specific questions related to the Italian school context were added to the original version.…”