A comparative study on Saudi and Japanese in-service teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education and self-efficacy in inclusive practices

Abstract

Although providing equal educational opportunity for all children is the common goal for inclusive education around the world, the way of implementation is influenced by cultural, historical, and socioeconomic factors of each country. This study aims to compare Saudi and Japanese teachers’ attitudes and self-efficacy in inclusive education. Data were collected from 185 Saudi and 359 Japanese in-service teachers using a survey. Quantitative analysis revealed that there was no difference between Saudi and Japanese teachers’ attitudes towards including students with disabilities. The Japanese teachers’ overall self-efficacy was lower than that of the Saudi teachers, but this result was discussed with consideration to the modesty bias prevalent in Japanese culture. The findings provide useful insights for developing pre-service and in-service teacher education, where skills considering managing student behaviour and collaboration need to be more emphasised in Saudi Arabia and knowledge of policies regarding inclusive education should be stressed in Japan.