Students’ attitudes towards peers with intellectual disabilities are mostly negative, and negative attitudes appear more among secondary education students than any other age group. Social coexistence programmes are intervention programmes implemented by school psychologists to manage and change negative attitudes and enforce social interaction with students with disabilities. The research sample consisted of 193 public high school students in Greece who were given the Chedoke–McMaster Attitudes Toward Children with Handicaps (CATCH) Scale. The study aimed to explore whether there is a change in the attitudes of high school students towards peers with intellectual disabilities after participation in a social coexistence programme. The findings showed that students who participated in the programme had more positive attitudes towards people with intellectual disabilities after the completion of the programme. The above findings confirm the research on the possibility of changing attitudes of secondary school students towards peers with disabilities and reinforce the need for the systematic development of social coexistence programmes for the entire student population. Future research should focus on the benefits of students with disabilities from their participation in social coexistence programmes.

Teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education of typically developing and non-typically developing students are a key factor for effective school psychological support, smooth attendance of all students and seamless operation of the classroom. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the views of primary education teachers in schools of Northern Greece regarding the factors that shape their attitudes and influence their participation in promoting the joint education of disabled and non-disabled students. The research sample consisted of 48 primary school teachers in the area. The Teacher Attitudes Toward Inclusion Scale (TATIS) questionnaire was adapted and administered. The results of the study show that teachers who have been involved in inclusive education processes in the past and evaluate their participation as positive for themselves and their students, develop and establish more positive attitudes regarding the usefulness of inclusive education programmes compared to teachers who either have no positive experiences from participating in the education of students with disabilities in the general classroom or have never taught non-typically developing students. In conclusion, the organised and methodologically envisaged development of inclusive education increases the efficiency of teachers and promotes a positive learning climate in the classroom. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0726/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

<p>Formally, inclusive education is part of the primary policies in the Greek educational system. However, pupils with intellectual disabilities still attend special schools and their socialization is mainly monitored through the implementation of social co-existence programs in the school setting. The present study aimed to explore the outcomes of a social co-existence program that was implemented in two co-located schools, a general education elementary school and a special education elementary school. Semi-structured interviews with the special education elementary school pupils were used for pre- and post-intervention assessments. Qualitative analyses of the data revealed important differentiations in the ways pupils with intellectual disabilities understood a) their social interaction with typically developing peers and b) acceptance by peers. In fact, the pupils with intellectual disabilities consistently acknowledged that participation in the social co-existence program enhanced their social interactions and improved acceptance by peer.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0683/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Self-determination is a framework for making decisions about one's life. In children, self-determination is linked to interests, choices, decisions, and problem-solving, usually with the help of an adult. The Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) teaches students the above issues related to their daily lives (Palmer &amp; Wehmeyer, 2002). The purpose of this study was to determine whether students after the implementation of SDLMI would be able to set goals and make decisions about the subject being taught. The research involved 5 girls with learning disabilities, second and fourth grade, divided into two groups, depending on the class of study. The program was implemented for 5 months and was followed by the structure proposed by the authors (Palmer &amp; Wehmeyer, 2002). Initially, the students' interests were investigated, the answers were recorded and there was a discussion about what the goal is and what the obstacles are. After the worksheets were translated and adapted, they were given to the students. After the students set their goals, each of them worked on their individual goals (in language or mathematics). For the final evaluation of the program, the students completed the worksheets. The results showed that the students, after completing the program, were able to better understand the meaning of the goal and set goals that corresponded to the level of learning they possessed and the difficulties they faced at that time.