Pre-service Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Students With Behavioral Difficulties: Associations With Individual and Education Program Characteristics

Line Massé,Catherine Gauthier,Marie-France Nadeau,Sandy Nadeau,Nancy Gaudreau,Anne Lessard

doi:10.3389/feduc.2022.846223

Abstract

Teachers’ belief toward students with special educational needs (SEN) in the regular classroom is a condition that may influence the implementation of inclusive education. Nevertheless, some studies suggest that teachers’ attitudes or self-efficacy beliefs toward students with behavioral difficulties (BD) are quite negative, but much less emphasis has been placed on the factors and mechanisms contributing to these attitudes. This study investigates associations between pre-service teachers’ (PT) attitudes toward students with BD, PT’s individual characteristics including self-efficacy beliefs, and PT’s education program characteristics. Participants surveyed were 1,499 PT enrolled in a 4-year teacher education program (bachelor’s degree) in Quebec Province, Canada. Descriptive analysis showed that PT’s report generally positive attitudes toward students with BD on the three components of attitudes, while behavioral components were significantly more positive than the affective and cognitive components. Among the individual characteristics of PTs, the more advanced their academic level, the more negative their attitudes were on all three components. The characteristics related to the teacher education program (general vs. special) and the number of hours of courses on the BD revealed significant differences only on the cognitive component. Results of the mediation analysis further revealed that the association between the PT’s characteristics and the three components of attitudes was mediated by PT’s self-efficacy beliefs. Results are discussed considering their implications for the field of teacher education.

Highlights

Inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools and placement in the least restrictive environment, which first refers to the regular classroom, are encouraged through legislation worldwide (Jackson et al, 2018)
In comparison with students with SEN in terms of learning difficulties, several studies over time have shown that in-service and pre-service teachers’ (PT) attitudes toward students with behavioral difficulties (BD) are more negative (Haq and Mundia, 2012; O’Toole and Burke, 2013; Markova et al, 2016; Scanlon et al, 2020; Jury et al, 2021)
Dealing with BD is a major concern for PT (Clarke et al, 2012), which is subsequently associated with attrition from the profession among beginning teachers (Martin et al, 2012)

Summary

Introduction

Inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools and placement in the least restrictive environment, which first refers to the regular classroom, are encouraged through legislation worldwide (Jackson et al, 2018). Even in this context, students with behavioral difficulties (BD) are more likely to be placed in special education when compared with other students with SEN (Smith et al, 2015). Identifying the relationship between attitudes and other variables or factors involved during the teacher training process would provide leverage and guidance for designing training program targets, content, or methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion