A Comparative Study of the Attitude, Concern, and Interaction Levels of Elementary School Teachers and Teacher Candidates towards Inclusive Education

Abstract

Inclusion is an educational approach providing students with special needs with education in normal classrooms, which is the least restrictive educational environment for them by offering the necessary services for full time or part time. Although the necessary laws and regulations appear to execute this inclusive practice properly in Turkey, there are some problems regarding its implementation. Aim of this study contributes to the implementation by determining and solving the problems encountered in the inclusive practices by developing an assessment instrument comparing the attitude, concern and interaction levels of pre-service and in-service elementary teachers towards inclusive education. The study sample consists of 68 in-service elementary teachers working at central elementary schools in Amasya and 112 pre-service elementary teachers in the elementary education program of Amasya University during the 2009-2010 academic year. For the study, an assessment consisting of four parts was developed and applied as a data collection instrument. The data gathered from the study was analyzed using the SPSS 18.00 package program. With the findings obtained, it has been determined that there are significant differences between the in-service and pre-service teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education and their interactions with individuals with special needs. It has been concluded that these differences are related to occupational experience and the preparation levels of the individuals with special needs. The findings of this study suggest that professional development workshops and seminars on special and inclusive education would improve the knowledge of in-service elementary teachers and enhance the qualification of the inclusive practices.