Changing Student Teachers' Attitudes Towards Disability and Inclusion

A total of 274 preservice teacher education students were surveyed at the beginning and end of a one-semester unit on Human Development and Education which combined formal instruction with structured fieldwork experiences. The latter included interviewing community members regarding their knowledge of Down syndrome and opinions on inclusive education, and writing an associated report. At the end of semester, not only had student teachers acquired more accurate knowledge of Down syndrome, together with more positive attitudes towards the inclusive education of children with Down syndrome, but their attitudes towards disability in general had also changed, and they reported greater ease when interacting with people with disabilities. The study illustrated the value of combining information-based instruction with structured fieldwork experiences in changing attitudes towards disability and inclusion. It also demonstrated that raising awareness of one disability may lead to changes in attitudes towards disability in general

Inclusion Needs a Different School Culture

Teachers' beliefs and values are affecting the emerging organizational paradigm called inclusive education. A social constructivist perspective on teachers' beliefs acknowledges that teachers have their ideals and this knowledge influences their actions in the implementation of inclusive schooling. This happens within a social and cultural context of the school and the community. This paper addresses a critical aspect of the changes needed for the development of inclusive schooling and the associated professional development for teachers

Bridging the Gap Between Inclusive Policy and Inclusive Culture in Secondary Schools

Organisational support from a number of levels needs to be in place if schools are going to achieve success in developing an inclusive school culture. Support at policy level is frequently in place, however the gap between policy and practice is a continuing challenge. In this in-depth study of a secondary school Suzanne Carrington and John Elkins offer insights into the culture of an inclusive school and the processes of translating inclusive policy to inclusive practice

Bridging the gap between inclusive policy and inclusive culture in secondary schools

Organisational support from a number of levels needs to be in place if schools are going to achieve success in developing an inclusive school culture. Support at policy level is frequently in place, however the gap between policy and practice is a continuing challenge. In this in-depth study of a secondary school Suzanne Carrington and John Elkins offer insights into the culture of an inclusive school and the processes of translating inclusive policy to inclusive practice

Um olhar sobre a inclusão

Nos últimos anos, os princípios ligados à educação inclusiva assumiram proporções hegemónicas na educação. Portugal abraçou os mesmos princípios ao ratificar a Declaração de Salamanca, em 1994. Não obstante, ainda depara com inúmeras dificuldades na implementação dos ideais defendidos a nível político. Uma das dificuldades prende-se com a definição pouco precisa do conceito de inclusão, que origina a tomada de medidas avulso e circunstanciais. Neste artigo pretende-se apresentar uma visão sobre conceito de inclusão, procurando distinguir entre os conceitos de integração e de inclusão. De acordo com a visão apresentada, a inclusão assenta em quatro eixos fundamentais: (1) é um direito fundamental, (2) obriga a repensar a diferença e a diversidade, (3) implica repensar a escola (e o sistema educativo) e (4) pode constituir um veículo de transformação da sociedade.Projecto financiado pela Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologi

Teacher education for diversity

This research reports the findings from three Queensland universities regarding preservice teachers' attitudes towards people with disabilities. The Interactions With Disabled Persons Scale (Gething, 1991) was administered to investigate the effect of personal attributes on preservice teachers' acceptance of and social interactions with people with disabilities. The findings indicate that only four percent of preservice teachers surveyed had undertaken any compulsory courses and only 18 percent had taken elective units in teaching children with special needs. Preservice teachers who had at least weekly contact with people with disabilities perceived less discomfort with such interactions than did those who had less contact. Additionally, postgraduate students experienced greater discomfort than undergraduates did. The implications of these findings for the development of compulsory preservice courses that focus on diversity and for subsequent changes in content at the participating universities are discussed

Stress among Secondary School Teachers in Ebonyi State, Nigeria: Suggested Interventions in the Worksite Milieu

The aim of the study was to determine the level of stress experienced by secondary school teachers in Ebonyi State. The dimensions of stress studied included physical stress, mental stress, emotional stress and social stress. The study adopted the cross-sectional survey design using a sample of 660 (male 259, female 401) teachers randomly drawn from 33 secondary schools in Ebonyi State. The secondary schools were selected from two (Abakaliki and Afikpo) out of three education zones in Ebonyi State. In each school 20 teachers were randomly selected using systematic random sampling technique. A self-developed instrument titled: Teacher Stress Questionnaire (TSQ) was used to collect data for the study. Five experts in Health Education and Psychology were used for validating the TSQ. Data collected from 30 secondary school teachers yielded an overall reliability coefficient of r = 0.72. The researchers personally collected the data which were analysed using mean, standard deviation, t-Test, Pearson’s correlation and Stepwise Multiple Regression. Six hundred and fourteen copies (male 232, female 382) of the questionnaire, representing about 93% return rate, were used for analysis. The results showed that the secondary school teachers had a high level of stress and the difference in the level of stress reported by male and female teachers was significant with male teachers reporting higher level of stress than female teachers. Each dimension of stress contributed significantly to the overall level of stress experienced by the secondary school teachers. Interventions, such as stress management, can be carried out to reduce stress in the worksite. Keywords: Stress, Secondary school teachers, Interventions, Worksite milie

Stress and coping skills of teachers with a learner with Down's syndrome in inclusive classrooms

Against the background of the recent move towards inclusion in South Africa, ten mainstream primary school teachers with a learner with Down's syndrome in their classrooms took part in a research programme which aims to identify stressors for teachers in an inclusive educational approach and coping skills employed to ameliorate the negative effect of these stressors. Teachers' knowledge, attitudes, stressors and coping skills were qualitatively analysed with the help of semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire. Preliminary findings indicate that stressors experienced and coping skills vary. The variation appears to be related not only to their perceived professional and personal ability to handle the needs of the learners but also to external factors such as collaboration with support groups and parents. (South African Journal of Education: 2001 21(4): 256-259

Inclusive Education Services for Children with Mild Intellectual Disabilities in Pandemic Period: The Dilemma of General Elementary Schools in Indonesia

Children with mild intellectual disabilities need to receive optimal educational services during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to analyze inclusive education services for children with mild intellectual disabilities during the pandemic. This study used a survey method with a sample of 10 inclusive elementary schools in Jakarta with 25 teachers and 10 parents who have children with mild intellectual disabilities. The finding shows that inclusive education services in the sub-district of Setiabudi, South Jakarta need improvement and improvement in all aspects, from teachers, curriculum, media and in terms of parents. All components must contribute to providing optimal learning services for children with mild intellectual disabilities to match the vision of inclusive education itself, where schools make adjustments both in terms of curriculum, educational facilities and infrastructure, as well as learning systems tailored to the individual needs of students. Thus the results of this study can be used as benchmarks for us as academics, especially for policy makers to contribute to improving the quality of education, especially inclusive education services for children with special needs