Book Description

The purpose of the study was to examine the attitudes of general educators toward movement of students with special needs into general education classrooms. This study was conducted using a descriptive quantitative approach with a survey design. The total number of participants was 73 with a total return rate of 53%. Teachers were surveyed on their (a) attitudes towards students with disabilities in inclusive settings, (b) beliefs about professional roles and responsibilities, and (c) beliefs about the efficacy of inclusion. Time spent with special education teachers tended to increase teacher beliefs that students with mild to moderate disabilities can be more effectively educated in regular classrooms as opposed to special education classrooms. The vast majority of teachers responded positively to their roles and responsibilities with students with disabilities. General education teachers showed a positive belief in the efficacy of inclusion, as 80% indicated that they believed inclusion was effective due to the social skills that can be learned. Almost 20% of participants did not believe that students with mild or moderate disabilities should be educated in the general education classroom to the fullest extent possible. It is recommended that administrators address the attitudes of general education teachers. This could be done through in-service training, mentoring and allotting time to collaborate with special education teachers. More research should be done to determine reasons why teacher attitudes are negative, so that schools may work to maintain positive attitudes and successful inclusion programs.