The role of primary school teachers’ attitudes and self‐efficacy beliefs for everyday practices in inclusive classrooms – a study on the verification of the ‘Theory of Planned Behaviour’

Abstract

Within the framework of implementing inclusive education in primary schools, various questions arise concerning the role of teachers’ personal resources in their everyday practices in heterogeneous classrooms. Teachers’ professional personalities as well as their intentions concerning inclusive teaching are considered to be important prerequisites for successful learning environments. Therefore, we examined the relevance of primary school teachers’ personal resources, such as their attitudes towards inclusion and their perceived collective self‐efficacy beliefs concerning inclusive teaching, in terms of their everyday practices in heterogeneous classrooms on the basis of the ‘Theory of Planned Behaviour’. We investigated N = 290 primary school teachers’ everyday practices according to their attitudes towards inclusion, their collective self‐efficacy beliefs concerning inclusive education, their perceptions of school management’s expectations and their intentions regarding inclusive education. The results of our study indicate that primary school teachers’ everyday practices in heterogeneous classrooms are significantly predicted by their intentions regarding the implementation of inclusive education and by their attitudes towards inclusive education but not by their collective self‐efficacy beliefs or by their perceptions of school management’s expectations. Specifically, the effect of teachers’ attitudes on their everyday practices in heterogeneous classrooms is significantly mediated by their intentions regarding the implementation of inclusive education.

Social Acceptance in Inclusive Classrooms: The Role of Teacher Attitudes Toward Inclusion and Classroom Management

“…However, looking at the factors of teacher attitudes separately, neither teachers' perception of their behavior management nor their perception of their ability to teach in inclusive classrooms, which should to some extent represent the behavioral dispositions of teachers, predicted their classroom management practices. These results support the finding of Hellmich et al (2019) indicating no significant relationship between self-efficacy beliefs and self-reported teaching practices. However, the lack of significant effect in the present study could be due to the unidimensional assessment of attitudes toward inclusion with the ORI questionnaire (Ewing et al, 2018).…”

“…Therefore, teachers' attitudes toward inclusion had also no indirect effect-via teachers' classroom management-on student social acceptance. These study findings indicate that the attitudes of teachers toward inclusion might be less important than has been suggested by many cross-sectional studies (e.g., de Boer et al, 2012;Desombre et al, 2019;Hellmich et al, 2019) and that its impact on teaching practices is overestimated. Studies have found that teachers with more teaching experience in inclusive classrooms hold more positive attitudes toward inclusion (De Boer et al, 2011).…”

“…Further, research by Wilson et al (2019) indicated that teachers with more positive attitudes toward children with disabilities had higher self-efficacy and a higher inclination to use inclusive teaching practices. According to Hellmich et al (2019), primary school teachers' everyday practices in heterogeneous classrooms were related to their intentions regarding the implementation of inclusive education and to their attitudes toward inclusive education. Moreover, a longitudinal study from Bosse et al (2016) showed that teachers with more positive attitudes toward inclusion were less anxious.…”

“…(2) Do teacher attitudes toward inclusion predict classroom management (classroom level)? Based on previous study results (e.g., Hellmich et al, 2019;Wilson et al, 2019), a significant relationship between attitudes toward inclusion and classroom management is assumed. (3) Does effective classroom management predict student social acceptance in the peer group (classroom level)?…”

Do they practise what they preach? Factors associated with teachers’ use of inclusive teaching practices among in‐service teachers

“…This psychological theory explains individuals’ behaviour through their subjective norms, attitudes and perceived behavioural control. Additionally, within the study of Hellmich, Löper, and Görel (2019), the theory of planned behaviour was used as theoretical framing to examine the associations between teachers’ attitudes and self‐efficacy beliefs towards inclusive education and use of inclusive teaching practices in the classroom. Teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education can be defined as 'a psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor' (Eagly and Chaiken, 1993, p. 1).…”