Exploring Pre-service Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Students with Disabilities of Differing Severity Levels

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Deb, Prianjana

• Abstract
  Teachers’ attitudes toward students with disabilities are widely acknowledged as an
  important factor in the success of inclusive education. While substantial research has
  been conducted to examine teacher attitudes, there has been a notable scarcity of studies
  focusing on pre-service teachers. Pre-service teacher education is an optimal time for
  cultivating positive attitudes and fostering a commitment to inclusive education among
  future teachers. It is crucial to understand the attitudes of pre-service teachers toward
  students with disabilities in order to foster positive attitudes from the beginning of their
  careers.
  In this study, I examined pre-service teachers’ attitudes toward type of disability
  (academic, communication, and behavior) and severity level of disability (mild,
  moderate, and severe). The participants consisted of elementary (n = 313) and secondary
  pre-service teachers (n = 313) enrolled in the Bachelor of Education program at the
  University of Alberta. Participants completed the Attitudes, Beliefs, and Concerns about
  Teaching Students with Disabilities (ABCIES) survey. The current study examined a
  subset of 37 items from the ABCIES. This included participant responses to the
  Demographic items (n=10) and Behavioral Difficulties (n =9), Academic Difficulties
  (n=9) and Communication Difficulties (n=9). A mixed method ANOVA was conducted
  to examine the elementary and secondary pre-service teachers' attitudes towards students
  with academic, behavioural, and communication difficulties across the three severity
  levels. At each disability level (i.e., mild, moderate and severe), pre-service teachers
  reported the least favourable attitudes toward students with behaviour difficulties
  compared to academic and communication difficulties. There was no significant
  difference between academic and communication difficulties at the mild level.
  Meanwhile, at the moderate and severe levels, pre-service teachers held more positive
  towards students with communication difficulties than academic difficulties.
  Additionally, secondary route pre-service teachers held more negative attitudes toward
  including students with academic, behaviour, and communication disabilities in general
  education classrooms. The findings of this study suggest that pre-service teachers’
  attitudes are influenced by both the type and severity level of these three common
  disability categories. These findings highlight the need to foster more positive attitudes
  among pre-service teachers that may lead to more inclusive practices in their future
  classrooms, benefiting all students.

• Date created

  2025-01-01

• Subjects / Keywords

  • pre-service teachers; teachers’ attitudes; level of disability; inclusion/inclusive education;

• Type of Item

  Research Material

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-fyjv-5325

• License

  Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International