Regular Education Teachers’ Attitudes towards Inclusion in Oman

Abstract

The objectives of the study were to investigate regular education teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion and their educational setting preferences for teaching students with disabilities. In addition, the impact of teachers’ gender and teaching experience on the attitudes towards inclusion were examined. Seven hundred three Omani regular education teachers participated in this study. The findings suggest that the Omani regular education teachers held neutral behavior, cognitive, and affective attitudes towards inclusion; and a small minority of teachers believed that full inclusion in regular education classrooms or resource rooms were the best educational settings for educating the students with disabilities in comparison with other educational settings. Finally, the results indicated that there were significant relationships between teachers’ gender, teaching experience, and educational settings preference for educating students with disabilities and teachers' attitudes towards inclusion.

Omani Stakeholders’ Preferences for Educational Placement of Students with Disabilities

“…The Ministry of Education in Oman aims to create inclusive schools (Ministry of Education, 2008). The previous literature consistently showed that the attitudes of the principals (Balboni & Pedrabissi, 2000;Dyson, Howes, & Roberts, 2004;Kugelmass & Ainscow,2004;Semmel, 1986;Villa, Thousand, Meyers, & Navin, 1996), teachers (Ahsan, Sharma & Deppeler, 2012;Avramidis, Balyliss, & Burden, 2000;Avramidis & Norwich, 2002;Emam & Hassan, 2011;Haj Hussien & Al-Qaryouti, 2014;Sari, Celikoz, & Secer, 2009), parents (Gilmore, Campbell, & Cuskelly, 2003;Grove & Fisher, 1999;Tafa & Manolitsis, 2003), and students (Gannon & McGilloway, 2009;Georgiadi, Kalyva, Kourkoutas, & Tsakiris, 2012;Haj Hussien & Al-Qaryouti, 2015;Miller, Garriott, & Mershon, 2005;Morin, Crocker, Beaulieu-Bergeron, & Caron, 2013;Panagiotou et al, 2008;Papaioannou, Evaggelinou, & Block, 2014;Patel & Rose, 2014) play a major role in developing and implementing inclusive education successfully.…”

“…Oman has been in the process of reforming its educational system and significant efforts have been made towards achieving this goal (Haj Hussien & Al-Qaryouti, 2014). The Ministry of Education in Oman aims to create inclusive schools (Ministry of Education, 2008).…”

Resource Room Support Services for Students with Learning Disabilities: The Context of Oman خدمات دعم غرفة المصادر للطلبة ذوي صعوبات التعلم: في السياق العماني

“…In a quantitative study of 704 general education teachers in Oman, Hussein and Al-Qaryouti determined that 48% of teachers favored a totally separate educational setting for students with disabilities, while 33% preferred students with disabilities be educated in a self-contained class within a general school. Just under 10% of teachers selected a resource room as their preferred educational methodology for students with disabilities, while approximately 9% of general education teachers would prefer that students with disabilities be educated in the general student population (Hussien & Al-Qaryouti, 2014). Compared to the general stakeholder group, general education teachers prefer that students with disabilities be educated in separate educational settings at a higher rate and resource rooms at a lower rate (Hussien & Al-Qaryouti, 2014).…”

Management of inclusive education in Oman: A framework for Action

“…Reasons for exclusion are complex and varied but are generally based on disability stigma; widespread negative perception and beliefs; poverty; and lack of access to education, particularly in mountain regions (Weber & City, ). The majority of public schools in Oman remain unwilling and inadequately prepared to provide educational services to children with disabilities (Hussein & Al‐Qaryouti, ).…”

“…Teachers are at the heart of the education system and any expected or intended developments need to be contingent upon their positive contribution. General education teachers in Oman embrace IE values conceptually rather than practically (Hussein & Al‐Qaryouti, ). They believe that they have not been prepared to cater for children with diverse needs.…”