A Comparison of Teachers' Attitudes Toward Their Included Students with Mild and Severe Disabilities

Abstract

This investigation examined whether teachers' attitudes toward their included students with disabilities differed as a function of the disability's severity. Seventy inclusive classroom teachers nominated three students to prompts corresponding with the attitudes of attachment, concern, indifference, and rejection. Chi-square analyses supported predictions, based on a theory of instructional tolerance and a model of differential expectations, that students with severe or obvious disabilities are significantly overrepresented among teachers' nominations in the indifference category, whereas students with mild or hidden disabilities are significantly overrepresented among teachers' nominations in the rejection category. Results were interpreted to indicate that teachers tend to form different attitudes and expectations for their included students with disabilities depending on the severity or obviousness of students' disabilities. It is suggested that both included students with obvious and hidden disabilities are at risk for receiving inappropriate educational interactions—but for different reasons. Distinct recommendations for improving teachers' attitudes toward included students with hidden and obvious disabilities are offered.

Case by case : an exploration of upper elementary co-teaching experiences in general education learning spaces

“…Furthermore, some research has indicated that regular education classroom teachers are not convinced of the effectiveness of inclusionary practices on special education student populations (Cook, 2001). The counterargument cites the perceived lack of teaching expertise, limited allocated planning time, and lack of appropriate resources (Cook, 2001).…”

“…Furthermore, some research has indicated that regular education classroom teachers are not convinced of the effectiveness of inclusionary practices on special education student populations (Cook, 2001). The counterargument cites the perceived lack of teaching expertise, limited allocated planning time, and lack of appropriate resources (Cook, 2001). There are further arguments against the inclusion model contained within the literature suggesting that students with severe emotional and developmental disabilities can be more disruptive of the learning time of the regular education students.…”

Language Sampling for Preschoolers With Severe Speech Impairments

“…For example, teachers' expectations of students tend to decrease for children who appear to have severe disabilities (Cook, 2001), and adults tend to assume that children with speech impairments (as well as those with language impairments) have lower intellectual functioning (e.g., Rice, Hadley, & Alexander, 1993). The repercussions of such assumptions can have dramatic, negative effects on many aspects of a child's life, not the least of which includes educational placement decisions.…”

Développement d’un modèle d’évaluation d’un dispositif de soutien à l’inclusion scolaire

“…Dans un second temps, nous souhaitons définir les caractéristiques des élèves qui influent sur les formes des prestations ainsi que sur les attitudes des enseignants : il a été par exemple montré que, parmi les enfants autistes, un bas niveau d'adaptation, la présence de troubles du comportement importants et le niveau socioéconomique des parents sont liés à un degré d'inclusion réduit (Yianni-Coudurier et al, 2008). Nous savons également qu'il existe nombre d'interactions entre les caractéristiques diagnostiques des enfants et les attitudes des enseignants vis-à-vis de l'inclusion (Cook, 2001;Gal, Schreur et Engel-Yeger, 2010;Soodak, Podell et Lehman, 1998 (Kasari et al, 1999;Starr et al, 2006), et qu'elles sont susceptibles de soutenir la réus-site de l'intégration scolaire (Palmer et al, 2001;Xu et Filler, 2008). Deux dimensions peuvent constituer le soutien parental dans cette acception : d'une part, leur attitude vis-à-vis de l'intégration de leur enfant peut être évaluée par une échelle du type PATI 8 (Palmer, Borthwick-Duffy et Widaman, 1998); d'autre part, leur participation au suivi scolaire de leur enfant peut également être évaluée par un questionnaire ad hoc (Deslandes et Bertrand, 2004).…”