Teacher's Attitude and Peer Acceptance to Children with Special Needs in Inclusive Primary Schools

Abstract

The success of inclusion of children with special needs in inclusive schools largely depends on teachers' attitudes towards students with special needs and their knowledge on how to properly educate them. Regular teachers have different views about the inclusion of students with special needs. The type and level of the children's disabilities affect teachers' willingness to accommodate students with special needs and effective classroom management. The research used descriptive survey method to know the attitude and level of peer acceptance to children with special needs in Padang inclusive schools, West Sumatera, Indonesia in year 2015. The subjects of research consist of 150 regular school teachers and special education teachers who worked full-time in inclusive schools and 85 children with special needs that had been identified with the Kit of Identification Children with Special Needs. The data were collected with teacher attitudes and sociometric nomination scales. The results show that teacher attitudes on integration are not related to teaching experience, teacher educational background is positively related to their attitudes, and teachers' teaching experiences are related to attitudes. Other findings indicate that the level of peer acceptance in children with special needs is largely in the category of being ignored and even rejected by their peers.

Teachers’ Attitude towards the Learning Achievement of Students with Learning Disabilities in Inclusive Schools

“…It could be the experience of the teacher that makes them to be more understanding and can follow up the learning outcome with intervention, such as advising students to attend tutoring outside the school. This is in line with Marlina (2017) who suggests that teachers' teaching experiences are related to their attitudes. This finding in line with Ekperi et al (2019) and also Abudu & Gbadamosi (2014).…”

Amplifying children's voices within photovoice: Emerging inclusive education practices in Indonesia

“…Other peers commented on their friendship with this child with a learning disability as a representation of social inclusion and belonging. In contrast, previous research focused on levels of peer acceptance in Indonesia found overwhelmingly negative findings for peer acceptance (Marlina, 2017). For the primary students with learning disabilities, they viewed the teachers who supported students (Good teacher) and a sense of belonging in the wider community (Funny market friends) for their representation of social inclusion, belonging and community.…”

“…For the primary students with learning disabilities, they viewed the teachers who supported students (Good teacher) and a sense of belonging in the wider community (Funny market friends) for their representation of social inclusion, belonging and community. The photovoice project was purposefully conducted in schools specifically espousing the values of inclusive education, and the representations of social inclusion by the primary students without disabilities align with findings from Indonesian research on teachers' attitudes about inclusive education impacts on peer acceptance of students with disabilities (Marlina, 2017).…”

“…As previously noted, some of the primary students with learning disabilities were identified by their engagement in challenging behaviours. Children with learning disabilities who engage in challenging behaviours may be socially stigmatised (Marlina, 2017;Sheehy et al, 2019). Photovoice can provide an opportunity to support the development of social skills and positive peer relationships, and positive perceptions of students with disabilities in the community.…”

Peningkatan Keterampilan Sosial Anak Berkebutuhan Khusus Melalui Strategi Pembelajaran Station Rotation Berbasis Tiered Task (Studi Eksperimen di Sekolah Inklusif Sumatera Barat)

“…Fenomena ini berdampak banyak ABK yang sulit mengikuti pembelajaran, antara lain indikator pembelajaran yang terlalu tinggi, materi terlalu sulit, media pembelajaran yang tidak sesuai dengan jenis disabilitas yang disandang, dan evaluasi hasil belajar yang tidak sesuai dengan kemampuan yang dimiliki. Marlina (2017) dan De Boer et al (2011) juga menyatakan kondisi tersebut menjadi lebih sulit dengan adanya sikap guru yang negatif terhadap kebutuhan pembelajaran ABK, mulai dari persiapan pembelajaran sampai pada evaluasi pembelajaran.…”