Demografske i profesionalne karakteristike srednjoškolskih učitelja u relaciji sa stavovima prema edukacijskom uključivanju
Relationship of demographic and professional characteristics of vocational school teachers to their attitudes towards educational inclusion

Summary/Abstract: Teachers are key actors in promoting inclusion primarily because of their readiness to accept students with disabilities, and the resulting engagement between student and teacher can strongly influence whether inclusion is successful. The present study explored whether demographic and professional characteristics of vocational school teachers influence their attitudes towards inclusion of students with intellectual disability, specific learning disabilities, behavioral problems and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The following data were collected on 568 teachers (33% male, M = 45 yr) from 25 vocational schools in Zagreb, Croatia: gender, age, qualifications, subject area, overall work experience, work experience with students with disabilities, and self-reported difficulties working with students with disabilities. The occurrence of these factors was analyzed relative to the following four outcomes: teacher’s need for professional assistance in achieving inclusion, pessimistic attitude of the teacher about likelihood of successful inclusion, self-perceived competence in achieving educational inclusion, and problems in collaborating with parents. The results suggest that certain demographic and professional factors in teachers are associated with their attitudes towards inclusion of students with disability. Further research is needed on this issue, which should ultimately lead to the design of lifelong-learning interventions that nurture in teachers greater eagerness to work with students with disability.

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