Attitudes of selected groups of teachers towards inclusive education
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Date
2007
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Abstract
Inclusive education, in its broader sense, is bout acknowledging diversity of learners' needs and providing appropriate support. This happens when the education system is characterised by a shared responsibility among all the stakeholders to collaboratively provide a continuum of specialised support to address different needs of all learners. The needs range from cognitive, physical, emotional and cultural needs just to mention a few of them. Learners in the inclusive system therefore take a full and active part and are perceived as the full members of the institution as well as classroom community. Thus it is about creating a welcoming and supportive institutional culture that accepts and respects diversity of learners unconditionally. In inclusive education the whole system is custom-made; this includes curriculum and assessment standards, to meet the needs of learners not the predetermined needs of the curriculum.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of attitudes that teachers hold towards inclusive education and how teachers as a group perceive different disabilities. There were two aims that the study has tried to address. They are:
• The nature of attitudes teachers from different backgrounds hold towards inclusive
education.
• How teachers as a group perceive different disabilities.
The questionnaire was administered to teachers from historical Black; Coloured; White primary schools as well as teachers from special schools and the results showed that the nature of attitudes that teachers from different backgrounds hold towards inclusive education differ. Teachers from historical Black and Coloured primary schools hold more positive attitudes towards inclusive education than teachers from historical White primary schools and special schools. The study further showed that the majority of the participants in this study are not in favour of inclusion of learners with the following disabilities: blind; deaf; wheelchair confined and cerebral palsy. Teachers from historical White primary schools came up as the most
apprehensive group towards including learners with behavioural problems than any other racial group.
Description
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Education (Educational Psychology) in the Department of Educational
Psychology and Special Education, University of Zululand, 2007.
Keywords
Inclusive education, Mainstreaming in education, Special education teachers--Attitudes, Children with disabilities--Education