Comparison of Attitudes towards Inclusive Education between Teachers and Students with and without Special Educational Needs

Abstract

Inclusive education (IE) is underpinned by the values of equality, participation, developing and sustaining communities, and respect for diversity. It was asserted that through social participation in ordinary education settings, students with special educational needs (SEN) would benefit in academic performance and psychosocial adjustment. However, students with SEN in IE not only were poor in self-image, but also showed negative social relationships. Research in the West suggested that the efficacy of IE depends partly on the attitudes of teachers and students. This study was conducted to investigate the core value, attitude and sentiments regarding IE among students and teachers in Hong Kong. A questionnaire comprising items on sociodemographic characteristics and measuring instruments was designed for data collection. Participation was voluntarily and anonymous. A total of 107 teachers, 91 students with SEN, and 458 students without SEN in an institute of higher education responded to the online questionnaire survey. The data revealed that teachers and students with and without SEN were generally supportive of the core values of IE. In general, negative sentiments about people with disability were low and attitudes towards IE was positive among the three groups of respondents. Teachers obtained the lowest score on attitudes towards IE, though they were less negative in sentiments about people with disability. Expectedly, students with mild disabilities were considered more suitable for IE than students with more severe disabilities. Regardless of severity of disabilities, intellectual disabilities, mental and emotional problems, and ADHD were more commonly considered not suitable for IE. Ironically, mental and emotional problems and ADHD were the most common disabilities among students with SEN. Implications of the findings were considered.