Attitudes and self-efficacy of teachers towards inclusion in higher education

Abstract

A lot of legislative changes have taken place on inclusive education. This had consequences at all educational levels (primary, secondary and higher education (HE)). In the context of these changes, there was a need for more research focused on attitudes towards inclusion and the preparation of pre-service teachers for inclusive education. Recent research explores the process towards inclusion by investigating underlying support factors and barriers. However, this is little researched in HE and there is a lack of research investigating the relation between teachers’ attitudes, self-efficacy and behaviour. This study explores this relation, using the theory of planned behaviour. Seventy-five teachers from 19 different institutions of HE participated in this study. The Teacher self-efficacy for Inclusive Practice (TEIP) and Sentiments, Attitudes, Concerns regarding Inclusive Education-Revised (SACIE-R) scales were used in combination with a self-constructed additional questionnaire. Findings show a moderately positive attitude, a moderate level of teaching self-efficacy and show an adequate model fit, however, not all the paths were significant. Our results suggest that policy reforms should focus on more people with disabilities as role models and staff in HE as well as more practical experience for teachers in training with children/students with a disability.Abbreviation: HE: Higher Education; SWD: Students with a disability; TPB: Theory of planned behaviour

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