Breaking Barriers: The Influence of Teachers’ Attitudes on Inclusive Education for Students with Mild Learning Disabilities (MLDs)

Abstract

Inclusive educational practices demand social justice where all students with special educational needs have the same right to access education, irrespective of their special needs. Increasingly, across the world, teachers are supporting and defending the inclusion of students with disabilities in mainstream schools and classrooms. This is also the case in Pakistan, the site of this study. However, support and defense are not assurance that such policy is accepted by classroom teachers. Previous research studies have identified some barriers to inclusion and in this regard, the attitudes of teachers have been identified as a barrier worthy of consideration. The present research can contribute to developing insights by suggesting all the factors that can accommodate students with mild learning disabilities (MLDs). The research study aimed to determine the attitudes of teachers towards the education of students with mild learning disabilities, which are due to hereditary and neurobiological reasons that alter the functioning of the brain by affecting one or more intellectual processes associated with learning. The problems of processing can interfere with basic skills of learning, such as reading, writing, and mathematical skills. They can also interfere with higher-order skills, such as organizational skills, abstract reasoning skills, thinking skills, long or short-term memory, and attention span, in an inclusive classroom setting. Using a quantitative research method, data were gathered from N = 230 sample cases of teachers selected through a stratified sampling technique from 10 private primary inclusive schools and 10 private primary non-inclusive schools in Karachi. To identify the attitudes of teachers towards the inclusion of students with MLDs, teachers were asked to respond to validated and reliable tools used in different studies. The research applied variance-based structural equation modeling using the partial least-squares modeling method. Smart PLS 3.0 is software used for variance-based structural equation modeling, and the purpose of using it that the model involves mediation. This tool can show direct and indirect associations among variables simultaneously. The results revealed that there is a weak linear relationship between teachers’ attitudes towards the education of students with a mild learning disability and their practices towards inclusive classroom settings. On the contrary, teachers’ positive attitudes towards mild learning disabilities are predictors of inclusive classroom settings in schools. The weak linear association between teachers’ attitudes and the provision of inclusive classroom settings showed that teachers are not prepared to accommodate mild learning disabilities. However, if teachers’ self-efficacy is increased, then teachers are prepared to accommodate mild learning disabilities. It indicates that teachers with a greater sense of self-efficacy can play a significant role in creating an inclusive environment in schools by employing the provision of relevant resources. The present study recommended certain support mechanisms to school management and provided guiding principles to them on the specific resources required to meet the needs of students with a mild learning disability and to increase the self-efficacy of teachers.

Promoting Inclusion in Education: Teachers’ Attitude and Self-efficacy towards Differently Abled Children in Mainstream Schools

“…Scholars place significant emphasis on the significance of attending to the varied requirements of students with disabilities to facilitate their successful integration into regular educational settings. Within this context, Kamran, Siddiqui, and Adil (2023) are in agreement with the expressed notion that this integration process takes into account the Salamanca Statement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which Pakistan endorses in conjunction with the Education for All declarations.…”

Estrategias para Habilidades Sociales y Emocionales en la Educación Inclusiva de Estudiantes con Discapacidad

“…Las actitudes de los educadores también influyen significativamente en la educación inclusiva. Kamran et al (2023) señalan que actitudes positivas y apoyo por parte de los maestros son elementos esenciales para superar barreras y garantizar que los estudiantes con discapacidades leves de aprendizaje puedan desarrollar sus habilidades sociales y emocionales de manera efectiva. En última instancia, la sostenibilidad de la educación inclusiva requiere una formación continua para los docentes, la adaptación constante de métodos de enseñanza y la colaboración entre educadores para asegurar el desarrollo a largo plazo de habilidades sociales y emocionales en estudiantes con necesidades educativas especiales (Shutaleva et al, 2023).…”

“…Exploratory factor analysis of the social skills improvement system (SSIS) for autistic children: Implications for use and educational placement (Nader et al, 2023) Supporting Primary Students with Disabilities and Neurological Differences in Developing Digital Thinking Skills Through an Inclusive Game-Making Club (Harrison, 2023) A case study on peer relationships between children with and without autism spectrum disorder in a Chinese inclusive kindergarten (Xie et al, 2023) Competences for promoting mental health in primary school (Lahti et al, 2023) Breaking Barriers: The Influence of Teachers' Attitudes on Inclusive Education for Students with Mild Learning Disabilities (MLDs) (Kamran et al, 2023) Sustainability of Inclusive Education in Schools and Higher Education: Teachers and Students with Special Educational Needs (Shutaleva et al, 2023) Nota. Documentos revisados en cuanto a título y autores, elaboración propia (2023).…”

Management Analysis of Inclusive Educators

“…Inclusion educators must pay attention to students' learning development and have a positive attitude towards them (Kamran, Siddiqui, & Adil, 2023;Sunardi & Sunaryo, 2011). Educators must understand that every student has the right to receive educational services, regardless of whether they have normal or limited physical or mental abilities (Anastasiou, Burke, Wiley, & Kauffman, 2024;Kartiko, Rokhman, Priyono, & Susanto, 2024;Nuraini, 2019).…”