Inclusive education: Pre-service teachers’ and preservice educators’ attitudes

Abstract

According to Huber (2009), determination of factors that influence on pre-service teachers’ attitudes may provide information for making curriculum aimed at promoting desirable attitudes toward inclusion. In this context, a great number of researchers had studied variables related to pre-service teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion. While the results of some of these studies indicate that pre-service teacher has positive attitudes about the benefits of inclusion, others reveal concerns about the inclusive education of students with disability. This survey was conducted with students from the Institute of Special Education and Rehabilitation and Institute of Pedagogy, examining their attitudes toward inclusion of students with disabilities in regular schools. The Attitudes Toward Inclusion in Africa Scale (ATIAS) (Agbenyega, Deppeler & Harvey, 2005) was used to assess the pre-service teachers’ and pre-service special educators’ attitudes towards inclusive education. Results show that, in general, the majority of pre-service teachers and pre-service special educators support the concept of inclusion