Online ISSN: 2325-7466
2006
Triannual
National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)
United States

Articles

General Education and Special Education Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Inclusion

  • David A. Hernandez (Author) Walden University image/svg+xml
    David A. Hernandez, Ed.D., Ph.D., is the lead kindergarten teacher at Newport Heights Elementary School in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. He is also adjunct faculty at Walden University, where he is a research methodologist supervising doctoral students in the Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, and a lecturer at the University of California, Irvine, where he teaches research in the School of Education in the Master of Arts in Teaching.
  • Susan Hueck (Author) Cook International
    Susan E. Hueck, M.A., is the senior document developer at Cook International, a document development service she has owned and operated for more than a decade. While she offers document editing and development support for all genres of business and academic communication, her undergraduate degree in English literature, her master’s degree in professional writing, and her teaching experience make her especially well-suited to work with students. Her expertise is in tutoring and document development for doctoral students, and academic and research professionals.
  • Carmen Charley (Author) Walden University
    Carmen Y. Charley, Ed.D., is a lead special education teacher at Whittaker Elementary School in Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC), Master of Education degree in Elementary Education from South Carolina State University, and Doctorate of Education degree in Administrator Leadership for Teaching and Learning from Walden University. She is a National Board Certified Teacher in the area of Early Adolescence English Language Arts.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.318
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in general education and special education teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of students with disabilities and to ascertain if levels of self-efficacy, teacher type, and education level were predictors of teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion. Data were collected from 118 elementary and middle school teachers using an online survey, and a 2-way ANOVA and multiple regression were conducted to answer the research questions. Results indicated that special education teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion were significantly more positive than those of general education teachers and that teacher type and self-efficacy were predictors of teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion. Higher levels of self-efficacy were associated with more positive attitudes towards inclusion. Change in practice may be achieved if school district administrators implement teacher training to improve teacher self-efficacy regarding inclusive practices, which could ultimately improve student outcomes and narrow the achievement gap.
Keywords
Comparative Analysis, Disabilities, Elementary School Teachers, General Education, Inclusion, Instructional Program Divisions
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How to Cite
Hernandez, D. A., Hueck, S., & Charley, C. (2016). General Education and Special Education Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Inclusion. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 11(3), 79-93. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.318

Fall 2016

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  • Article Type Articles
  • Submitted August 31, 2016
  • Published October 15, 2016
  • Issue Fall 2016
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