Uncovering Teachers' Concerns and Multi-Dimensional Attitude Towards Inclusive Education: Who's Included and Who's Excluded

Abstract

The current study was designed to investigate teachers' multi-dimensional attitudes toward inclusive education (IE). Teachers' attitude was measured against four dimensions; anti-inclusion, pro-inclusion, the intensity of disability, and problems related to the inclusion process. The researchers followed positivist research philosophy in the present research with a quantitative approach and descriptive design. The sample comprised 366 male and female teachers, selected using the simple random sampling technique. The Teachers' Attitude Towards Inclusive Education Scale (TAIES) was developed and used for data collection. The researchers used descriptive and inferential statics to analyse data using SPSS (version 26). It was concluded that teachers showed a moderate attitude towards the dimensions of pro-inclusion, the intensity of disability, and IE-related problems. Based on the analysis, it was also found that male teachers' multi-dimensional attitude towards IE was statistically significant and higher (M = 2.60, SD = .56) than that of their counterparts (M = 2.40, SD = .50) at t (364) = 4.92, p = <.001. No significant difference was seen between teachers' multi-dimensional attitudes based on locality. It was also revealed that none of the respondents got any IE-related training. It was also found that they were in favour of including students with minor disability and showed their concerns for including students with severe disability. Therefore, arranging trainings, seminars, and workshops was suggested to enhance teachers' awareness and attitude towards IE.