Organizational conditions and school culture fostering inclusive education — findings of research among Israeli Arab teachers

Abstract

This study explores teachers' perceptions of inclusion. A nationwide survey of 754 Arab school teachers' perceptions of inclusion was conducted in Israel. Findings revealed a gap between positive overt attitudes towards inclusion and inclusion in practice. Attitudes are composed of three interrelated dimensions of personality: emotions, cognition and behavior. Each dimension is a complex interplay of several factors. Incongruence between cognition, emotion and behavior can be the outcome of cultural expectations. Our findings revealed that Arab school teachers expressed positive attitudes, in general, towards educational inclusion since this is the official statement of the Ministry of Education, but at the same time they did not see the benefits of inclusion towards the overall schools' reputation. Three-quarters of the respondents said that the school had no formal written statement concerning the inclusion of students with special needs. Most teachers expressed the view that their school was only partially accessible. Relations between school teachers and families were found to be very limited. At the same time, we found a significant correlation between positive attitudes towards inclusion and (1) pre-service and in-service training in special education and (2) the feeling that the administration supports the teacher.