Does the same teacher’s attitude fit all students? Uncovering student-specific variance of teachers’ attitudes towards all of their students

Abstract

In this study, inter- and intra-individual differences of teachers’ attitudes towards their students are investigated. Thirty-two teachers from inclusive primary school classes from Austria participated in the survey. Teachers filled out the ATIS scale for each of their students (N = 473 students; 55 students with SEN). The results of multilevel analyses indicate a high student-specific variance of teachers’ attitudes towards their students. Predictors of teachers’ attitudes towards students were only found at the student level (students’ migrant background and behavioural problems), not at the teacher level (teaching experience, teachers’ general attitudes towards inclusion and teachers’ general self-efficacy beliefs).