Attitudes of Slovenian parents towards pre-school inclusion

Abstract

ABSTRACT The attitudes of parents involved in the process of inclusion are of paramount importance. The aim of this study was to examine parents’ attitudes towards the constructs associated with pre-school inclusion with two goals, which were related to construct dimensions and differences in parents’ attitudes regarding whether or not they have a child with SEN. Among 296 parents, selected by the cluster sampling technique, 202 parents with children in classrooms in Slovenian Carinthia (85 had a child with SEN) participated in this study. Fifty items were used to measure parents’ attitudes and their openness to the inclusion of children. The results showed that parents of children with SEN are more open to inclusion, perceived positive social effects and benefits for children with and without SEN and had fewer negative feelings about the inclusion effects on children without SEN, than parents of children without SEN. Research results suggest the importance of contributing to parents of children without SEN in achieving successful inclusion.