Indonesian Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education

Abstract

Since the Bandung Declaration of 2004, Indonesia has become concerned with the development of inclusive education. Even though teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education are important for successful implementation, there have been few research studies on them in Indonesia. The purpose of this study is to understand Indonesian teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education. This study surveyed 243 Indonesian teachers using the Teacher Attitudes toward Inclusion Scale (TATIS) instrument. The findings showed that 79.4 % of Indonesian teachers held a moderate attitude toward inclusive education. In addition, the number of teachers who had a high (8.6 %) attitude toward inclusive education was less than those who held a low one (11.9 %). Moreover, there were no significant differences based on demographic data such as gender, age, province, school type, highest education, teaching experience in general education, and teaching experience in inclusive education. A significant difference was found only when the level of schools grouped the teachers: teachers who teach in secondary schools had more positive attitudes toward inclusive education than teachers who teach in primary schools. The positive attitude of teachers towards inclusive education can make them more capable of controlled learning environments. Meanwhile, to improve their attitude, a sustainable training program can be carried out. Sustainable training organized by the Ministry of Education to improve teacher pedagogical and professional competence must be in line with Education for Sustainable Development (EDS).