Pre-service Educational Assistants’ Attitudes Toward Inclusion

Abstract

In recent years, educational assistants (EAs) have taken on an integral role in special education. They often work with the most challenging and vulnerable student population (i.e., students with exceptionalities). To prepare EAs, some of Ontario’s publicly funded colleges have developed pre-service training programs. In Ontario, the number of students receiving special education services from kindergarten to Grade 12 is increasing, and policy trends are advocating for inclusion. Literature has suggested that educators’ attitudes toward educational inclusion may impact the extent to which inclusive strategies are implemented. Despite the importance that EAs bring to the special education team, very few studies have investigated their attitudes toward inclusion. This qualitative study investigated four pre-service EAs’ attitudes toward educational inclusion through the use of semi-structured interviews. Participants held mostly positive attitudes toward inclusion, but expressed concerns about implementation. Recommendations are made for policy, practice, and research based on three themes that emerged from the data.

Clarity of the Educational Assistant Role: A Look toward Policy and Practices

“…Despite the importance that EAs bring to the special education team, only a few studies have investigated varying EA attitudes toward inclusion. Findings linked the severity of students' exceptionality negatively correlated to the best interest of that student's needs in an inclusive classroom setting [3]. The concern was of inclusion of students who have complex needs.…”

“…Since new inclusive legislation passed, there have been progressive yet small steps toward what inclusion is and could become [2]. As a result, system improvements and research for EAs have become shadowed by the depths of literature and research surrounding other education levels, such as administrators and teachers [3]. Therefore, I saw a gap to contribute further research into the field I love, to lay a sustainable foundation for the coming generations of EAs and to build a sustainable path forward for the demands of the job.…”

“…In Ontario, the number of students receiving special education services from kindergarten to Grade 12 is increasing, and policy trends advocate for inclusion. Literature has suggested that educators' attitudes toward inclusion may impact how inclusive strategies turn into classroom practice [3]. Despite the importance that EAs bring to the special education team, only a few studies have investigated varying EA attitudes toward inclusion.…”

“…Only some students will find a general education class to meet their needs, as policy would suggest. A recommendation for the Ontario Ministry of Education is to develop documentation on the best practices for including students with high needs to support adoptions of inclusion to include those with severe and complex needs [3]. A separate Norwegian study also examined school policy for students with intellectual disabilities and found limited opportunities to choose functional life skills in an inclusive setting.…”

“…Therefore, a student with exceptional needs requires the identification process to protect the equality rights of students who, in the past, were stripped of those rights in mainstream classroom settings [37]. an inviting environment, and (c) training regarding disability [3]. Barriers to classroom inclusion were: (a) poor attitudes toward disability, (b) an imbalance of power between teachers and EAs, and (c) limited or brief training in evidence-based practice strategies [3].…”