Positive inclusive teacher attitudes are a key factor in achieving inclusive education due to the many benefits they generate for schools and social contexts. Studies have focused on analysing which variables may promote positive attitudes. The objective of this study was to analyse the predictive power of sociodemographic variables, empathy (cognitive and emotional), and social dominance orientation (social dominance and opposition to equality) on teachers’ attitudes, sentiments, and concerns about inclusion by comparing linear relationship models and models based on fuzzy-set comparative qualitative analysis. The sample consisted of 268 teachers of different educational levels aged between 20 and 64 years (M = 42.46, SD = 9.22), 66% of whom were women. The teachers were administered the Sentiments, Attitudes, and Concerns about Inclusive Education Revised (SACIE-R) scale, the Basic Empathy Scale (BES), and the Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) scale. Two different statistical methodologies were used: traditional regression models and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) models. The results of the regression models suggest that social dominance is the main predictor of attitudes, sentiments, and concerns about inclusion. Social dominance is negatively related to attitudes and positively related to sentiments and concerns. Only opposition to equality and emotional empathy are related to attitudes. On the other hand, the results of the QCA models suggest that low social dominance and high cognitive and emotional empathy, as well as female sex, predict higher levels of positive attitudes, sentiments, and concerns about inclusion. Since teachers interact most with students, it is important to be aware of how their empathy and social dominance orientations influence inclusion to develop intervention programmes that seek to train teachers in these capabilities.
The Sentiments, Attitudes, and Concerns About Inclusive Education Revised scale was developed to close the existing gap in measuring perceptions of inclusive education in the educative context. It has been widely used in other cultures but not in Spain. Our objective has been to analyze the psychometric properties in the Spanish sample by studying their relationship with empathy and social dominance variables, finally taking into account sociodemographic variables to observe if there are differences. The scale was applied to a total of 647 subjects: 323 university-students (18-45 years) and 324 in-service teachers (35-58 years). The scale showed psychometric properties suitable for the general group, the students, and the teachers. Likewise, the female students showed a more positive attitude toward inclusion, and these attitudes were associated with empathy and social dominance. This version of the Sentiments, Attitudes, and Concerns about Inclusive Education Revised is a useful tool for measuring the inclusive attitudes of undergraduate education students and in-service teachers.
The formation of inclusive attitudes in university students is essential because of the direct responsibility they have in the classroom. This descriptive study seeks to examine the levels of inclusive attitudes among future teachers towards students with special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities, as well as the relationship between these attitudes and sociodemographic variables. The population studied was comprised of 323 university students pursuing education degrees (located in Valencia, Spain) who were completing their degrees in early childhood education, primary education, other courses or post-graduate programmes and the dual degree in early childhood and primary education. To collect the data, the SACIE-R (Sentiments, Attitudes, and Concerns about Inclusive Education) scale was used (adapted to the Spanish context). The SPSS program (version 22) was used to analyse the data. The results suggest that education students show medium to high levels of inclusive attitudes. Likewise, females showed a higher level of inclusive attitudes than males, and contact with people such as classmates, family members or friends implied a higher level in the attitudes factor.
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