AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
TEACHERS' OPINIONS AND EXPERIENCES WITH AN INCLUSIVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT
a
VLASTA BELKOVÁ,
b
ŠTEFAN PETRÍK,
c
PATRÍCIA
ZOLYOMIOVÁ
Matej Bel University, Faculty of Education, Ružová 13, 974 11
Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
email:
a
,
vlasta.belkova@umb.sk
b
stefan.petrik@umb.sk
c
patricia.zolyomiova@umb.sk
The paper was developed with support under KEGA project no. 040UMB-4/2018
called 046UMB-4/2018 “How do we understand Inclusive Education? Creating an
optimal Learning Model”.
Abstract: The paper reports part of the results of a study where the teacher’s level of
education effectiveness in inclusive classrooms (TEIP) was examined. There were
1216 (N) pedagogical employees of various school types and levels who participated
in the research in the Slovak Republic (hereinafter SR), out of which 98% were
teachers and 86% women. A self-designed questionnaire which included a modified
range of the standardised instrument – TEIP was used. Respondents filled in an
anonymous questionnaire administered online. The main results show that a relatively
high level of effective teaching is demonstrated by teachers who work as special
teachers, teachers in special primary and high schools, or work with an SEN student
(assistants). Teachers with a higher career grade showed a higher attitude score in the
perception of their own professional ability to cooperate. There are stimulating results
in the area concerning an ongoing society-wide strategy of integrating students with
special educational needs (SEN students) into mainstream education. They will be
further analysed and discussed in the context of other variables, as well as student
samples that were part of the broader context in this research carried out by the KEGA
project.
Keywords: attitudes, teachers, personal experience, students with special educational
needs, inclusive environment
1 Introduction
Education has been identified as one of the main conditions for
human independence and the fulfilment of one's life ideas.
Society should strive to create an environment that does not
restrict access to education for people with disabilities. Inclusive
education is considered appropriate for improving the inclusion
of people with disabilities (Čerešňová et.al, 2018, p.13).
School systems aim to move from integration to inclusion, while
real inclusion presupposes changes in the perception and
organization of the school system and the educational
environment, focusing on the different educational needs and
abilities of all pupils. Such a shift requires a more fundamental
reform based on changes in educational policies (Körner, et.al.,
online, introduction), developing theoretical aspects of inclusion,
and gradually building inclusive education (Špotáková,
Kundrátová, Štefková, Vojtová & Zikmund Perašínová, 2018).
“Attention is focused on creating a friendly, accessible, safe, and
secure educational environment, which is accessible for all
participants in education including teachers and other teaching
staff” (
Čerešňová, 2018, p.14).
Inclusive education is perceived as accessible to everyone and at
the same time, based on solutions that can be adjusted to abilities
of every individual. The preferred learning style,
communication, or other specific needs are taken into
consideration (Čerešňová & Rollova, 2015 In Čerešňová, 2018,
pp.13 – 14).
Slovakia is among the countries with a so-called multi-track
approach which has a diverse attitude towards inclusion offering
different services between the system of mainstream and special
schools for SEN students (Meijer et. al., (ed), EASIE, 2003, p.8).
Several EASIE documents (2011) emphasize that appropriate
undergraduate and further teachers’ education is a key factor for
implementation of successful inclusive practises. For example,
the EASIE reports (report
Kľúčové zásady podpory kvality v
inkluzívnom vzdelávaní, 2011, p. 15) appeal to teachers in
undergraduate training to acquire skills, knowledge, and
understanding to gain their confidence and address different
pupils’ needs effectively. The report Vzdeláva
nie učiteľov v
oblasti inklúzie v Európe – výzvy a príležitosti (EASIE, 2011, p.
18) points out the need to address the structure of undergraduate
teacher training to improve teacher education in the field of
inclusion...to change the way teachers train for their professional
activities and tasks (EASIE, 2014, p.16). Therefore, there is a
current need in pedagogic research to study phenomena such as
the willingness of teachers to work in an inclusive school
environment or the professional (specialized) ability of teachers
to work in an inclusive environment (Movkebaieva, Oralkanova
& Uaidullakyzy, 2013). It is important to train future teachers to
implement inclusive principles at school; they need proper
knowledge and skills in the field of education including modern
interactive teaching methods as well as personality
characteristics and attributes such as patience and tolerance
towards people regardless of their physical or other attributes
(Movkebaieva, Oralkanova & Uaidullakyzy, 2013).
The implementation of inclusive principles in the school
environment depends on the teachers’ attitude (Bruggink, Goei
& Koot, 2013; Saloviita, 2020; Žitniaková Gurgová, 2013).
These attitudes are also based on the subjectively perceived
teachers’ skills to work with various pupils in mainstream
schools (Straková, Simonová & Friedlaenderová, 2019). In the
field of research, foreign countries are interested in revealing the
readiness of teachers to work with children and youth with
disabilities in mainstream schools (Movkebaieva, Oralkanova &
Uaidullakyzy, 2013; Golder, Norwich & Bayliss, 2008; Dolan,
2017).
Teachers’ attitudes to inclusion, which determine the academic
success of SEN students, are examined (MacFarlen & Marks
Woolfson, 2013; Shelley et.al, 2016). Teachers’ evaluation of
their efficacy to educate students with special educational needs
in mainstream schools is examined as well (Grace, 2014;
Bandura, 1997). Some studies offer us the results of examining
the attitudes, concerns, moods of teachers at various school
levels towards inclusive education in the context of the examined
demographic variables such as gender, previous experience with
people with disabilities where the impact of demographic
variables on attitudes has been identified (Loreman & Earle,
2007). The study by Schmidt & Vrhovnik (2015) analysed the
attitudes of teachers at primary and secondary level in Slovenia
to the inclusion of SEN students in the context of demographic
variables (type of school, age of teachers, number of pupils with
special educational needs in the classroom). Studies pointing out
links between more positive attitudes towards inclusion and
personal experience towards people with disabilities represent
another group (Sharma, Forlin, Loreman & Earle, 2006). Among
primary and secondary school teachers in the south-west of
England, a survey of attitudes towards the inclusion of SEN
students in mainstream schools found that those teachers who
work in an inclusive environment have a more positive attitude
towards school integration (Avramidis, Bayliss & Burden,
2000). Some studies examined the teachers’ efficiency in
approach, and concerns in integrating SEN pupils into
mainstream classrooms and therefore used tools such as SACIE-
R and TEIP (Tasnuba & Tsokova, 2015).
2 Research methodology
A positive attitude towards inclusion, demonstrated by both
teachers and school management, has been identified as one of
the most influential factors in implementing inclusive
approaches in school training. Social experiences and
interactions with people with disabilities also influence attitudes
towards inclusion. Therefore, the goal of this research was to
identify the perceived professional ability of primary schools’
pedagogic staff to perform an inclusive practice. It focuses on
the following research questions based on the set goal:
Q1: Is there a difference in the perceived professional ability of
pedagogical staff for inclusive practice in terms of the school
type in which they work?
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