Research in inclusive settings is complicated by the nested relationships between the general education teacher (GET), the special education teacher (SET) and pupils. In this study, the impact of SET ...resource and selected variables of teacher competence (professional mathematical knowledge SET, attitude towards inclusion GET, classroom management GET) on the mathematical achievement gain of typically developing pupils (TYP) and pupils with intellectual disability (ID) was examined. Mathematical achievement was tested at the beginning of the school year (t1) and the end (t2) in 34 inclusive classrooms (sample ID: n = 42; sample TYP n = 525). IQ and gender - and the average mathematical achievement at class level in the sample TYP - were included as control variables. For pupils with ID, hierarchical regression modelling revealed that the mathematical knowledge at t1 explained most of the variance in mathematical achievement gain. For the group TYP, the results of a multi-level analysis showed that mathematical knowledge at t1, IQ and the average mathematical achievement at class level all had a positive effect on mathematical achievement gain. The more hours a SET was present in the classroom, the more the mathematical achievement of the group TYP increased. The other teacher competence variables had no apparent impact.
Intersectionality recognises that individuals can simultaneously be members of multiple disadvantaged groups, which creates a system of disadvantage. To analyse these systems of disadvantages, it is ...necessary to look at the intersection of different categories. This paper examines the intersectionality of disability, refugee status and gender. It analyses whether general public's attitudes towards inclusion differ depending on disability type (physical disability vs. behavioural disorders), refugee status (Austrian vs. refugee child) and gender, and how these attributes interact to influence attitudes. The attitudes of 2307 Austrians were assessed. Respondents read a short description of one student and answered questions addressing the possibility of including him/her in mainstream primary schools. The results showed that the public's attitudes depend on students' attributes, emphasising their intersection. Respondents showed more positive attitudes towards the inclusion of Austrian students, students with a physical disability and girls (regardless of refugee status and disability type) into mainstream primary schools. It was discovered that the intersection of disability type and refugee status affects the general public's attitudes towards the inclusion of (refugee) boys and girls differently. The results demonstrate that focusing on only one category of difference does not allow seeing the complexity of how multiple discriminations interact with each other.
Giving preservice teachers experience in working with students with autism is essential for successful teacher preparation. Structural equation modelling was employed to identify the factors ...affecting preservice teachers' attitudes toward the use of inclusive settings for students with autism. The results indicated that their coursework influenced attitudes toward full inclusion both directly and indirectly, but had no effect on their perceptions of partial inclusion and self-contained classroom settings. Preservice teachers' beliefs toward special education exerted a mediation effect between special education coursework and full inclusion. Similarly, preservice teacher attitudes toward students with autism presented a mediation effect between field experience and inclusion.
•Adolescents’ attitudes towards students with special educational needs (SEN) depend on friendships between students with and without SEN.•Students who experience positive emotions following the ...exclusion of a student with SEN express more negative attitudes towards SEN students.•Even if students have close friendships with SEN students, they only show more inclusive attitudes if they anticipate low positive emotions.
Most countries have started to educate students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools, but it remains unclear how inclusive attitudes towards students with SEN can be promoted.
This study investigated the role of adolescents’ friendships and socio-moral competencies for their attitudes towards the inclusion of students with SEN. Specifically, we studied whether adolescents without SEN would develop more inclusive attitudes if they had close friendships with SEN students and if they expressed negative emotions about social exclusion.
Adolescents’ inclusive attitudes and their emotions were gathered from survey data of 1225 Swiss students aged 11–13. Social network data were collected to assess adolescents’ friendship relationships.
The results indicated that adolescents’ friendship closeness with SEN students positively related to their inclusive attitudes. However, this was only true for adolescents who anticipated more negative than positive emotions if a student with SEN was excluded.
These findings highlight the role of friendship relationships between adolescents with and without SEN and adolescents’ socio-moral experiences for their attitudes towards the inclusion of peers with SEN. Thus, inclusive education may benefit from promoting friendships among students with and without SEN as well as adolescents’ socio-moral competencies.
This study addressed the concept of 'intersectionality' relating to refugee status and disability. It examined whether differences in attitudes depending on disability type (physical disability vs. ...behavioural disorders) are present and how the refugee status and disability in girls interact to influence attitudes. The attitudes of 1377 participants towards the inclusion of Austrian girls with disabilities as well as of refugee girls with and without disabilities into a mainstream primary school were assessed. The respondents read a short description of a particular girl before answering a short questionnaire.
In general, the respondents showed more positive attitudes towards the inclusion of Austrian girls into a mainstream primary school than towards the inclusion of refugee girls. Furthermore, attitudes were more positive towards the inclusion of girls with a physical disability than towards the inclusion of girls with behavioural disorders, regardless of the refugee status. Due to the entanglements of the disability type and refugee status demonstrated in this research, it seems clear that no pure 'disability effect' or 'refugee effect' is evidenced when examining attitudes about inclusive education. Rather, both aspects should be considered simultaneously. Furthermore, respondents' gender, educational level and cultural capital also influenced the attitudes.
Parents' attitudes towards inclusive education in day care facilities in the city and rural district of Osnabrueck in Germany were assessed by conducting a written survey (N = 809). In the survey, ...parents indicated their perceptions of advantages and risks of inclusion for children with and without special needs. The interviewed parents perceived more advantages than risks for both groups of children. The results of the assessment varied depending on the kind of child care facility. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research and about how institutions should develop to adequately go about the implementation of inclusive education.
In the process of educational reforms for promoting equity and inclusion in education, pre‐service teacher preparedness has been identified as a vital factor that has an impact on the success of ...inclusive education. Bangladesh, like other parts of the world, has taken various initiatives to promote inclusive education in the country context. This study is an attempt to explore factors related to pre‐service teachers’ preparedness for inclusive education in Bangladesh. The current study is an extension of the work completed in previous studies and specifically examined participants’ attitudes and factors that influenced their attitudes. Following a mixed method design, this multi‐phase study measured 1,623 pre‐service teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education in phase 1. By applying a multiple regression procedure, several variables were identified that impacted on pre‐service teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion. The results indicated that Bangladeshi pre‐service teachers hold a less positive attitude towards the inclusion of children who have high support needs (that is, those who use Braille or sign language, or those who need to have an Individualised Academic Programme). In order to better understand the findings about apprehensive attitudes among pre‐service teachers, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with six institutional heads of pre‐service teacher education institutions. The interviews provided a new perspective on apprehensive attitudes among participants. Several curriculum reform suggestions are made that may have implications for policy‐makers and researchers in Bangladesh and beyond.
This article considers the increased identification of special educational needs in Australia's largest education system from the perspectives of senior public servants, regional directors, ...principals, school counsellors, classroom teachers, support class teachers, learning support teachers, and teaching assistants (n = 30). While their perceptions of an increase generally align with the story told by official statistics, participants' narratives reveal that school-based identification of special educational needs is neither art nor science. This research finds that rather than an objective indication of the number and nature of children with special educational needs, official statistics may be more appropriately viewed as a product of funding eligibility and the assumptions of the adults who teach, refer, and assess children who experience difficulties in school and with learning.
Background: Several barriers are hampering the provision of adequate education to students with special educational needs in mainstream primary schools. It is not clear how many and which students in ...the Netherlands are considered children with special educational needs. The problems that make teachers consider children to have special educational needs and the effect of different types of problems on the school career have not often been addressed in research studies. Furthermore, contextual factors, like teachers' attitudes on inclusion and the number of students with special needs in the class may influence the school career of children with special educational needs.
Purpose: This study aimed to examine the proportion of Dutch students in mainstream primary schools with special educational needs, their literacy and numeracy attainment levels, the likelihood of referral to special education and effects of teachers' attitudes towards inclusion and of the percentage of students with special needs in class.
Sample: We use data on 8237 students with special educational needs in mainstream primary education from two consecutive measurements of a large cohort study in the Netherlands called PRIMA.
Results: We found that, according to the teachers, on average 26% of the students in their classes had special educational needs. Cognitive problems had a much stronger effect on the school career than social-emotional and physical problems. As expected, teachers with a positive attitude towards the inclusion of students with special educational needs referred fewer children to special education than teachers with less positive attitudes towards inclusion. Furthermore, the likelihood of a student being referred to a special school was reduced as the number of students with special needs in the class increased.
Conclusions: Depending on factors in the learning context, special educational needs of a child may or may not be recognised. Consequently, children's special educational needs may not always be sufficiently catered for.
Inclusive post-secondary education (IPSE) programs for students with intellectual disability are growing rapidly, yet demand still outweighs the availability of programs. To increase the success and ...sustainability of IPSE, universities must understand stakeholders’ perceptions of inclusion. The Perspectives of Diversity and Inclusion Survey was administered to students at two universities -- a pilot IPSE campus and an existing IPSE campus. Students held largely favorable perceptions of IPSE. Differences in perceptions were evidenced in students’ practices of inclusion, willingness to be peer mentors and receptiveness for inclusion training. Considerations for enhanced training on IPSE campuses and recommendations for future research are provided.
PDF
