Teachers’ Beliefs About Inclusive Education and Insights on What Contributes to Those Beliefs: a Meta-analytical Study

Abstract

Teachers’ belief systems about the inclusion of students with special needs may explain gaps between policy and practice. We investigated three inter-related aspects of teachers’ belief systems: teachers’ cognitive appraisals (e.g., attitudes), emotional appraisal (e.g., feelings), and self-efficacy (e.g., agency to teach inclusive classrooms). To date, research in this field has produced contradictory findings, resulting in a sparse understanding of why teachers differ in their belief systems about inclusive education, and how teachers’ training experiences contribute to their development of professional beliefs. We used meta-analysis to describe the level and range of teachers’ beliefs about inclusive education, and examine factors that contribute to variation in teachers’ beliefs, namely (1) the point in teachers’ career (pre-service versus in-service), (2) training in special versus regular education, and (3) the effects of specific programs and interventions. We reviewed 102 papers (2000–2020) resulting in 191 effect sizes based on research with 40,898 teachers in 40 countries. On average, teachers’ cognitive appraisals, emotional appraisals, and efficacy about inclusion were found to be in the mid-range of scales, indicating room for growth. Self-efficacy beliefs were higher for preservice (M = 3.69) than for in-service teachers (M = 3.13). Teachers with special education training held more positive views about inclusion than regular education teachers (d = 0.41). Training and interventions related to improved cognitive appraisal (d = 0.63), emotional appraisal (d = 0.63), and self-efficacy toward inclusive practices (d = 0.93). The training was particularly effective in encouraging reflection of beliefs and, eventually, facilitating belief change when teachers gained practical experience in inclusive classrooms. Six key findings direct the next steps.

Applying the mixed-blessings model and labeling theory to stigma in inclusive education: An experimental study of student and trainee teachers’ perceptions of pupils with ADHD, DLD, and intellectual disability

“…This finding could suggest that trainee teachers, who have actual experience with teaching, exhibit reduced self-efficacy expectations with respect to certain teaching constellations and specific pupils. This finding is in line with the results of a recent meta-analysis (Dignath et al, 2022), which reports that "self-efficacy beliefs were found to be higher for preservice than for in-service teachers" (p. 24). Other scholars likewise emphasize the effect of teaching experience on attitudes toward inclusive education (e.g., Avramidis and Kalyva, 2007).…”

“…This approach builds on Bandura’s (1977) concept of self-efficacy , which is defined as a belief in one’s competence to achieve goals in a certain situation. For instance, teachers’ self-efficacy has been repeatedly linked to teaching outcomes ( Klassen and Chiu, 2010 ) as well as their beliefs and attitudes ( Dignath et al, 2022 ) in inclusive educational settings. Therefore, it can be presumed that descriptions of biogenetic causes can help reduce stigmatization, for example, because they lead to the belief that the affected person is not to blame for his or her condition.…”

Influence of course content on preschool teacher candidates’ classroom management strategies, professional beliefs and emotion regulation skills

“…Another reason we have such a finding might be because the comparison group was already enrolled in "Inclusive Education" course which might also influence their sensitivity and raise their awareness about key issues related to interventions. Similarly, in a recent meta-analysis, the researchers reported that inclusive education training can change teachers' professional beliefs and experience (Dignath et al 2022). However, the findings of our study showed that a 14-week training did not have as strong impact on the emotion regulation strategies as we expected, because these strategies are mostly shaped by individual experiences and mutual relationships from early ages.…”

Does Professional Development Effectively Support the Implementation of Inclusive Education? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Speci cally, teachers' knowledge, skills and beliefs, as well as students' academic achievement, learning behavior, and attitudes toward school, are commonly assessed. Reviews report positive in uences of professional development participation but include only a few primary studies in their analyses, with considerable variations in reported effect sizes (Avramidis & Norwich, 2002;Brock & Carter, 2017;Dignath et al, 2022). However, these studies focus on speci c aspects of diversity (i.e., special educational needs) or isolated outcome measures (e.g., attitude; Dignath et al, 2022, or implementation delity; Brock & Carter, 2017).…”

“…The current study aims to identify aspects that enhance the effectiveness of professional development in addressing inclusive education. In order to extend the range of information gathered, we do not limit geographical areas and include studies with different designs in this meta-analysis (Dignath et al, 2022;Katsarov et al, 2022). The inclusion of different study designs has been discussed in the literature (Mueller et al, 2018) and this practice has become more common practice, as it can help answer the question of underlying effects and analyze biases introduced by the different designs (Price et al, 2004).…”