Teachers' attitudes towards integration / inclusion: a review of the literature

doi:10.1080/08856250210129056

Home
/
Papers
/
Teachers' attitudes towards integration / inclusion: a review of the literature

Journal Article•DOI•

Teachers' attitudes towards integration / inclusion: a review of the literature

01 Jun 2002-European Journal of Special Needs Education (Taylor & Francis Group)-Vol. 17, Iss: 2, pp 129-147

TL;DR: This paper found that teachers' attitudes were strongly influenced by the nature and severity of the disabling condition presented to them and less by teacher-related variables, while educational environment-related factors, such as the availability of physical and human support, were consistently associated with attitudes to inclusion.

read less

Abstract: On the assumption that the successful implementation of any inclusive policy is largely dependent on educators being positive about it, a great deal of research has sought to examine teachers' attitudes towards the integration and, more recently, the inclusion of children with special educational needs in the mainstream school. This paper reviews this large body of research and, in so doing, explores a host of factors that might impact upon teacher acceptance of the inclusion principle. The analyses showed evidence of positive attitudes, but no evidence of acceptance of a total inclusion or ‘zero reject’ approach to special educational provision. Teachers' attitudes were found to be strongly influenced by the nature and severity of the disabling condition presented to them (child-related variables) and less by teacher-related variables. Further, educational environment-related variables, such as the availability of physical and human support, were consistently found to be associated with attitudes to incl...

...read moreread less

Citations

PDF

Open Access

More filters

Journal Article•DOI•

Regular primary schoolteachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education: a review of the literature

[...]

Anke de Boer, Sip Jan Pijl, Alexander Minnaert

01 Apr 2011-International Journal of Inclusive Education

TL;DR: In this paper, positive attitudes are argued as playing a considerable role in implementing this educational change successfully, and teachers are seen as key persons to implement inclusive education, thus positive attitudes play a significant role.

...read moreread less

Abstract: Teachers are seen as key persons to implement inclusive education. Positive attitudes are therefore argued as playing a considerable role in implementing this educational change successfully. The a...

...read moreread less

839 citations

Cites background or result from "Teachers' attitudes towards integra..."

...The latter is supported by other studies (Avramidis and Norwich 2002; Balboni and Pedrabissi 2000; Leyser et al. 1994)....
[...]
...Results of other studies also showed that teachers’ attitudes are influenced by specialised training in special needs education (Avramidis and Norwich 2002; Leyser et al. 1994)....
[...]
...…of these stated that teachers are positive towards the general philosophy of inclusive education (Abbott 2006; Avramidis, Bayliss, and Burden 2000; Avramidis and Norwich 2002; Marshall, Ralph, and Palmer 2002), whereas other research has established that teachers have serious reservations about…...
[...]
...These results seem to deviate from the more positive conclusion of older reviews (Avramidis and Norwich 2002; Scruggs and Mastropieri 1996) regarding the attitudes towards inclusive education, but concurs with the sombre views of recent state-of-the-art studies of Vislie (2006) and Ferguson (2008)....
[...]
...Avramidis and Norwich (2002) concluded in their study that teachers are more willing to include pupils with mild disabilities, or physical/sensory disabilities than pupils with more complex needs....
[...]

Journal Article•DOI•

Educational psychology and the effectiveness of inclusive education/mainstreaming.

[...]

Geoff Lindsay¹•Institutions (1)

University of Warwick¹

01 Mar 2007-British Journal of Educational Psychology

TL;DR: The evidence from this review does not provide a clear endorsement for the positive effects of inclusion and there is a lack of evidence from appropriate studies and, where evidence does exist, the balance was only marginally positive.

...read moreread less

Abstract: Background. Inclusive education/mainstreaming is a key policy objective for the education of children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities. Aims. This paper reviews the literature on the effectiveness of inclusive education/mainstreaming. The focus is on evidence for effects in terms of child outcomes with examination also of evidence on processes that support effectiveness. Samples. The review covers a range of SEN and children from pre-school to the end of compulsory education. Method. Following an historical review of evidence on inclusive education/mainstreaming, the core of the paper is a detailed examination of all the papers published in eight journals from the field of special education published 2001-2005 (N = 1373): journal of Special Education, Exceptional Children, Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, journal of Learning Disabilities, Remedial and Special Education, British journal of Special Education, European journal of Special Needs Education, and the International journal of Inclusive Education. The derived categories were: comparative studies of outcomes: other outcome studies; non-comparative qualitative studies including non-experimental case studies; teacher practice and development; teacher attitudes; and the use of teaching assistants. Results. Only 14 papers (1.0%) were identified as comparative outcome studies of children with some form of SEN. Measures used varied but included social as well as educational outcomes. Other papers included qualitative studies of inclusive practice, some of which used a non-comparative case study design while others were based on respondent's judgements, or explored process factors including teacher attitudes and the use of teaching assistants. Conclusions. Inclusive education/mainstreaming has been promoted on two bases: the rights of children to be included in mainstream education and the proposition that inclusive education is more effective. This review focuses on the latter issue. The evidence from this review does not provide a clear endorsement for the positive effects of inclusion. There is a lack of evidence from appropriate studies and, where evidence does exist, the balance was only marginally positive. It is argued that the policy has been driven by a concern for children's rights. The important task now is to research more thoroughly the mediators and moderators that support the optimal education for children with SEN and disabilities and, as a consequence, develop an evidence-based approach to these children's education.

...read moreread less

621 citations

Cites background from "Teachers' attitudes towards integra..."

...There is a lack of consistent evidence concerning teachers’ age and gender and age of pupils taught, but teachers’ beliefs and training are important (Avramidis & Norwich, 2002)....
[...]
...Reviews have identified a number of important factors affecting teacher attitudes to inclusion (Avramidis & Norwich, 2002; Scruggs & Mastropieri, 1996)....
[...]

Journal Article•DOI•

Impact of Training on Pre-Service Teachers' Attitudes and Concerns about Inclusive Education and Sentiments about Persons with Disabilities.

[...]

Umesh Sharma¹, Christine Irene Forlin², Tim Loreman³•Institutions (3)

Monash University, Clayton campus¹, Hong Kong Institute of Education², Concordia University College of Alberta³

03 Dec 2008-Disability & Society

TL;DR: In this article, the effects of training in inclusive education on pre-service teacher attitudes towards inclusion, their sentiments about people with a disability and their concerns about inclusion were investigated using a data set of 603 teachers from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore.

...read moreread less

Abstract: Inclusion of students with disabilities into regular schools is now one of the most significant issues facing the education community both nationally and internationally. In order to address this issue there is widespread acceptance that teacher training institutions must ensure that new teachers are trained to teach effectively in classrooms where there are students with a variety of learning needs. Utilizing a data set of 603 pre‐service teachers from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore this study reports the effects of training in inclusive education on pre‐service teacher attitudes towards inclusion, their sentiments about people with a disability and their concerns about inclusion. The results are discussed in relation to a range of factors that could have produced different gains in their attitudes, sentiments and concerns among cohorts from different countries.

...read moreread less

463 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

The influence of teaching experience and professional development on Greek teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion

[...]

Elias Avramidis¹, Efrosini Kalyva•Institutions (1)

University of York¹

12 Oct 2007-European Journal of Special Needs Education

TL;DR: In this paper, a survey was undertaken into the attitudes of Greek teachers to inclusion, revealing positive attitudes towards the general concept of inclusion but variable views on the difficulty of accommodating different types of disabilities in mainstream classrooms.

...read moreread less

Abstract: On the assumption that the successful implementation of any inclusive policy is largely dependent on educators being positive about it, a survey was undertaken into the attitudes of Greek teachers to inclusion. The 155 respondents were general education primary teachers drawn from one region of Northern Greece, with a proportion deliberately selected from schools identified as actively implementing inclusive programmes. The analysis revealed positive attitudes towards the general concept of inclusion but variable views on the difficulty of accommodating different types of disabilities in mainstream classrooms. Teachers who had been actively involved in teaching pupils with SEN held significantly more positive attitudes than their counterparts with little or no such experience. The analysis also demonstrated the importance of substantive long-term training in the formation of positive teacher attitudes towards inclusion. The paper concludes with recommendations for developing critical professional development courses that can result in attitudinal change and the formulation of genuinely inclusive practices.

...read moreread less

363 citations

Cites background from "Teachers' attitudes towards integra..."

...Instead, their attitudes are strongly influenced by the nature and the severity of the disabling condition presented to them and, to a lesser extent, by teacher and school variables (see review by Avramidis & Norwich, 2002)....
[...]
...Other reviewers of the literature have also concluded that teachers’ attitudes are strongly influenced by the nature and the severity of the disabling condition presented to them and perceive the process as dependent on the availability of adequate support and resources (Avramidis & Norwich, 2002)....
[...]
...All these environment-related factors have been associated with positive attitudes towards inclusion and high perceptions of self-efficacy, competence and teaching satisfaction (Avramidis & Norwich, 2002)....
[...]

Journal Article•DOI•

Teacher attitudes and behavior toward the inclusion of children with social, emotional and behavioral difficulties in mainstream schools: An application of the theory of planned behavior.

[...]

Kate MacFarlane, Lisa Woolfson

01 Jan 2013-Teaching and Teacher Education

TL;DR: The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used to examine relationships between teacher attitudes and behavior toward children with social, emotional and behavioral difficulties (SEBD) in this article.

...read moreread less

300 citations

1
2
3
4
…
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200

Collapse

References

PDF

Open Access

More filters

Journal Article•DOI•

Teacher Perceptions of Mainstreaming/Inclusion, 1958–1995: A Research Synthesis:

[...]

Thomas E. Scruggs¹, Margo A. Mastropieri¹•Institutions (1)

Purdue University¹

01 Oct 1996-Exceptional Children

TL;DR: The authors found that about two thirds of general classroom teachers supported the concept of mainstreaming/inclusion and a smaller majority were willing to include students with disabilities in their own classes, but responses appeared to vary according to disabling condition and implicit obligations on the teacher.

...read moreread less

Abstract: Twenty-eight investigations were identified in which general education teachers were surveyed regarding their perceptions of including students with disabilities in their classes. Research synthesis procedures were employed to summarize responses and examine the consistency of responses across time, geographical location, and item type. Overall, we found that about two thirds of general classroom teachers supported the concept of mainstreaming/inclusion. A smaller majority were willing to include students with disabilities in their own classes, but responses appeared to vary according to disabling condition and implicit obligations on the teacher. Although about half or more of the teachers felt that mainstreaming/inclusion could provide some benefits, only one third or less of teachers believed they had sufficient time, skills, training or resources necessary for mainstreaming/inclusion. Reported attitudes did not appear to covary with either geographical region or time of publication. Implications for p...

...read moreread less

1,060 citations

"Teachers' attitudes towards integra..." refers background in this paper

...Finally, Scruggs and Mastropieri (1996) in their meta-analysis of American attitude studies, which included 28 survey reports conducted from at least 1958 through 1995, reported that although two-thirds (65 per cent) of the teachers surveyed (10,560 in total) agreed with the general concept of…...
[...]

Journal Article•DOI•

A Survey into Mainstream Teachers' Attitudes Towards the Inclusion of Children with Special Educational Needs in the Ordinary School in one Local Education Authority

[...]

Elias Avramidis, Phil Bayliss, Robert Burden

01 Jun 2000-Educational Psychology

TL;DR: The authors found that teachers who have been implementing inclusive programmes, and therefore have active experience of inclusion, possess more positive attitudes towards the inclusion of children with special needs in the ordinary school were surveyed soon after the release of the Green Paper.

...read moreread less

Abstract: Attitudes of mainstream teachers towards the inclusion of children with special needs in the ordinary school were surveyed soon after the release of the Green Paper. The survey was carried out in one Local Education Authority in the south-west of England and the sample comprised of 81 primary and secondary teachers. The analysis revealed that teachers who have been implementing inclusive programmes, and therefore have active experience of inclusion, possess more positive attitudes. Moreover, the data showed the importance of professional development in the formation of positive attitudes towards inclusion. In particular, teachers with university-based professional development appeared both to hold more positive attitudes and to be more confident in meeting the IEP requirements of students with SEN. The role that training at both pre-service and post-service levels has in the development of teachers' support for inclusion is discussed.

...read moreread less

841 citations

"Teachers' attitudes towards integra..." refers background or result in this paper

...…teachers and those with fewer years of experience are more supportive of integration, other investigators have reported that teaching experience was not significantly related to teachers’ attitudes (Avramidis et al., 2000; Leyser, Volkan and Ilan, 1989; Rogers, 1987; Stephens and Braun, 1980)....
[...]
...…report overcrowded classrooms, insufficient pre-prepared materials (differentiated packages), insuf cient time to plan with learning support team, lack of a modified/flexible timetable, inadequately available support from external specialists and lack of regular INSET (Avramidis et al., 2000)....
[...]
...Several other studies conducted in the USA (Buell et al., 1999; Van-Reusen, Shoho and Barker, 2000), Australia (Center and Ward, 1987) and the UK (Avramidis et al., 2000) tend to reinforce the view that special education qualifications acquired from pre- or in-service courses were associated with…...
[...]
...Other aspects of the mainstream school environment have also been identified in the above studies as being obstacles that have to be surmounted in order for inclusive programmes to be successfully implemented; for example, more often than not, teachers report overcrowded classrooms, insufficient pre-prepared materials (differentiated packages), insuf cient time to plan with learning support team, lack of a modified/flexible timetable, inadequately available support from external specialists and lack of regular INSET (Avramidis et al., 2000)....
[...]

Book•

Special educational needs : report of the Committee of Enquiry into the Education of Handicapped Children and Young People

[...]

Young People, Mary Warnock

01 Jan 1978

601 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Teacher, Student, and School Attributes as Predictors of Teachers' Responses to Inclusion

[...]

Leslie C. Soodak¹, David M. Podell², Laurie R. Lehman³•Institutions (3)

Rutgers University¹, City University of New York², Long Island University³

01 Jan 1998-Journal of Special Education

TL;DR: For example, this article found that higher teacher efficacy was associated with higher teacher receptivity, inclusion of students with physical rather than cognitive or behavior disorders, use of differentiated teaching practices, and teacher collaboration.

...read moreread less

Abstract: General educators (N = 188) were surveyed regarding their responses to including students with disabilities in their classrooms. Two dimensions of responses were identified: hostility/receptivity and anxiety/calmness. Results indicated that teacher attributes and beliefs, student characteristics, and school climate relate to both dimensions. Specifically, receptivity toward inclusion was associated with higher teacher efficacy, inclusion of students with physical rather than cognitive or behavior disorders, use of differentiated teaching practices, and teacher collaboration. Findings further suggest that with experience, teachers become more hostile toward inclusion. Lower anxiety was associated with the inclusion of students with learning or behavior disorders, high teacher efficacy, and small class size. Results demonstrate the complex nature of teachers' thinking about inclusion and suggest that teacher, student, and school factors need to be considered in the analysis of teachers' willingness to suppo...

...read moreread less

433 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

A Survey of General and Special Education Teachers' Perceptions and Inservice Needs Concerning Inclusion

[...]

Martha J. Buell, Rena A. Hallam, Michael Gamel-McCormick, Scott D. Scheer

01 Jun 1999-International Journal of Disability Development and Education

TL;DR: In this paper, the results of a statewide needs assessment conducted by one state's Department of Education in order to tailor their system of personnel development were examined for both special and general education teachers.

...read moreread less

Abstract: To improve educational services to students with disabilities, the United States government has mandated that each state develop a Comprehensive System of Personnel Development. The following article highlights the results of a state-wide needs assessment conducted by one state's Department of Education in order to tailor their system of personnel development. Four percent of the state's general educators, and 6% of the state's special education teachers completed the surveys for a total of 289 surveys. Perceptions of ability to positively affect students, understanding of inclusion, self-efficacy in serving students in inclusive settings, the need for inservice training in various areas, and the availability of supports to promote inclusion were examined for both special and general education teachers. In every area assessed, special education teachers rated their efficacy, ability, understanding, and resources higher than general education teachers. These results are discussed in terms of meeting profes...

...read moreread less

351 citations

"Teachers' attitudes towards integra..." refers result in this paper

...Other attitude studies from the USA have suggested that general educators have not developed an empathetic understanding of disabling conditions (Berryman, 1989; Horne and Ricciardo, 1988), nor do they appear to be supportive of the placement of special needs learners in their regular classrooms (Bacon and Schulz, 1991; Barton, 1992)....
[...]
...Teachers in the USA and Germany had the most positive attitudes....
[...]
...Leyser, Kapperman and Keller (1994) undertook a cross-cultural study of teacher attitudes towards integration in the USA, Germany, Israel, Ghana, Taiwan and the Philippines....
[...]
...More recently, Norwich (1994), in his comparative study of educators in rural and urban areas in Pennsylvania, USA, and Northamptonshire, England, compared the relationships of integration attitudes to political outlook, socio-political views and other situational factors (contact with disability, professional position)....
[...]
...Positive attitudes in the USA were attributed to integration being widely practised there as the result of Public Law 94-142....
[...]