INKLUZIJA I ULOGA NASTAVNIKA
INCLUSION AND THE ROLE OF TEACHERS

Summary/Abstract: Understanding the perspective of teachers is an important prerequisite for the functional implementation of inclusion in schools. The aim of this research was to examine teachers’ perceptions of their own roles in the education of students with disabilities, in relation to the roles of school psychologists and pedagogues, their perceptions of personal competencies for inclusive education, and assessments of possible barriers to educational inclusion. The sample consisted of 102 teachers working in regular primary schools, of which 60.8% stated that they have professional experience in working with children with disabilities. A questionnaire developed for the purposes of this research and whose characteristics were evaluated by exploratory factor analysis was applied. According to the results obtained, teachers believe that school psychologists and pedagogues have a primary role in achieving certain aspects of inclusive education. Teachers also point to a general lack of a sense of competence to work with children with disabilities. As the biggest obstacles to inclusive education, teachers identified their own initial education and negative school culture. Finally, the results showed that there is no significant correlation between teachers’ experience with students with disabilities and the length of work experience with the perception of different aspects of inclusive education. The concluding remarks emphasize the need for teachers to accept their roles and to feel competent in working with students with disabilities. The implications of the research relate to the directions of improving initial education and professional development of teachers in the field of inclusion.

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