Attitudes toward Inclusion among general education Teachers at the Elementary Level - Essay Example

This study explores general education teacher experiences, attitudes and beliefs regarding inclusion in an elementary classroom setting, based on Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy. The interview format of the study allows general education teachers at the elementary level to express their experiences, attitudes and beliefs regarding inclusion. Broadly, participants were asked, “How do you (general education elementary teachers) feel towards inclusion of students with disabilities in your classroom?

” The research design is non-experimental, eliciting data on existing attitudes from elementary school teachers. The study population consists of elementary school teachers in Fort Bend, with a sample size of fifteen general education elementary teachers from six public schools. The study’s research methodology draws upon structured, prearranged interview questions and participant’s reflection on their personal experiences. Data was analyzed using a coding system to identify common themes.

When teachers in Fort Bend elementary schools learned their campuses would be implementing inclusion of students with disabilities in general classrooms, they expressed many different emotions about the idea, including worry about how they would accomplish this and still keep their excellent teaching levels high. Even if a particular teacher had a positive attitude about inclusion, he or she had many questions and concerns. This study was designed to delve deeply into teacher attitudes regarding inclusion to discover what lies underneath the general comments and discussions this researcher has heard anecdotally.

Administrators and other educators beginning to implement inclusion can benefit from knowing how this particular group of educators thinks and feels, and their beliefs regarding inclusion. When the subject of this study was presented to the teachers in Fort Bend, some teachers immediately volunteered to be interviewed.