Psychological readiness of educational process participants for inclusive education of children with disabilities

Abstract

The relevance of the research is caused by the fact that, despite legal and regulatory studies of the problem, implementation of inclusive education for children disabilities is delayed by psychological factors. The works of foreign (K.C. Stoiber et al., 1998, etc.) and Russian authors (Alyokhina of C.B., V.V. Hitryuk, etc.) testify this fact. The analysis of scientific researches demonstrated that the key factor in this problem is a positive attitude and qualification of teachers. In Russia there are also specific cultural factors connected with traditions of teachers training and features of the educational system. Also, some stereotypes concerning people with disabilities exist in the society. The authors present the research of teachers' relation to inclusive education. The research was carried out in the Altai Territory. We offered the teachers to tell their estimations; the compliance rate of each judgement was rated by Likert scale. It allowed us allocating the five factors of readiness for inclusive education. These are understanding of the inclusion importance; caution and skepticism; barriers; uncertainty and incompetence; sense. The data are confirmed by means of the exploratory factorial analysis and the analysis of psychometric characteristics. The results showed that the sex of a person does not play the essential role in readiness for inclusive education. However, the experience of working with children with disabilities has significant influence on estimations on the scale of uncertainty and incompetence. The test teachers who have no experience of work with children with disabilities are more often negative to inclusive education. And those who have the experience estimate themselves as more competent and ready to work. It was established that 79% of the interviewed teachers are positive to introduction of inclusion and 85% of them feel the sense of their activity, but at the same time 87% of teachers demonstrate caution to inclusive education. Also it was revealed that 34% of teachers think that some barriers make it difficult for teachers to accept a child with disabilities. It is fear that other children will not accept the child with disabilities, some of them consider that they will not be able to train normally other children in the presence of at least one child with disabilities. 56% of teachers are not sure of their competence and are not ready to work with children with disabilities since they do not know working methods and do not understand their psychological features. On the basis of the research, we made the recommendations of psychological and pedagogical support for all participants of inclusive educational process. The main task for a psychologist, when working with a disabled person, is to overcome the "consciousness for disabled", to replace the stereotypes of their inner world lameness with mindsets. During the work with healthy people the objective is to form the attitude of understanding and adoption other opinions, tolerance, empathy, ability to come into contacts, etc.