Supports and Resources Associated with Inclusive Schooling: Perceptions of Elementary School Teachers about Need and Availability

Abstract

A mail survey of elementary education teachers was conducted to identify their perceptions of the necessity and availability of various resources and supports for including students with disabilities in their classrooms. Of the 2,100 questionnaires mailed to kindergarten through Grade 6 teachers, 1,430 (68.1%) were returned in usable form with at least 64% from each grade level and at least 65% returned from each geographic region of the United States. Based on the respondents' ratings, they were divided into three groups: teachers with no students who had disabilities, teachers with students whom they rated as lower in areas of disability, and teachers with students whom they rated as higher in areas of disability. The results indicated that (a) the three groups of teachers did not differ in the level of reported availability of resources/supports, (b) both groups of teachers with children who had disabilities reported greater need for than availability of most resources and supports, (c) larger percentages of teachers with students rated as high in disability areas reported needing the resources/supports than the teachers with students who were rated as lower in disability areas, and (d) greater discrepancies between the levels of need and availability occurred for the teachers with high- and low-rated students. The implications of these findings for inclusive schooling are discussed.