Inclusive Beliefs and Self-Efficacy Concerning Inclusive Education Among German Teacher Trainees and Student Teachers

Abstract

This survey aims to investigate the beliefs and self-efficacy of preservice teachers in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, concerning inclusive education. There were 491 people who participated in the study. The future teachers responded to a slightly modified questionnaire by Kopp (2009) using case descriptions of pupils with different educational needs to assess attitudes toward inclusion and self-efficacy in inclusive classroom settings. Results show a general effect of the intended type of school on inclusive beliefs and self-efficacy with significant differences between future teachers. Preservice teachers for special needs school rated highest in inclusive beliefs, and self-efficacy secondary school teachers and academic high school teachers lowest. The intended profession also plays a role in rating the readiness for inclusion of the presented case examples. In the eyes of future teachers, children with intellectual disabilities and complex special needs should be educated in special needs schools.