Teachers' attitudes toward inclusion

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to (a) investigate current teachers' attitudes toward inclusion, and to (b) explore possible differences in the general and special education teachers' attitudes toward inclusion of students with disabilities in the integrated education classroom. A total of 10 participants from a large mid-western state university participated in this study. All ten participants were in-service teachers enrolled in graduate classes. The findings of this study indicated that teachers had positive attitudes toward inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classroom. Some differences, however, were found between the attitudes of special and regular education teachers. Special educators were more supportive to full inclusion than the general educators. The integration of information concerning teachers' beliefs/points of view about inclusion may help practitioners to design educational settings that enhance all students' academic performance.