Teachers’ Attitudes and Intention Regarding Inclusive Practice in Hong Kong Higher Education

Abstract

The policy of inclusive education (IE) aims to build an inclusive society that provides educational opportunities for all students regardless of learning disabilities or special educational needs. However, the outcomes of IE reported in the literature were rather inconsistent, with no solid evidence to confirm the effectiveness of IE. Among the many factors associated with the effectiveness of IE, teachers’ attitudes and intention regarding teaching inclusive classrooms play an important role. Previous studies on IE were conducted mainly in primary and secondary schools. This study examined factors associated with teachers’ attitudes and intention about teaching IE in a higher education setting. A questionnaire containing items on sociodemographic characteristics and instruments measuring IE was designed for data collection. The questionnaire was put online in an institution of higher education and teachers were invited to participate in the study. A total of 107 teachers (mean age = 49.9 years, SD = 11.4, 49.5% were males) responded. The data revealed that teachers hold positive attitudes towards IE and they showed fairly high intention to engage in inclusive practice, which provides a fertile ground for the implementation of IE. However, teachers’ self-evaluation of confidence, experience, knowledge, and training regarding inclusive practice were rather poor, suggesting that they were not well-prepared for teaching IE. It constituted a potential barrier to the effective implementation of IE. In-service training is recommended to prepare teachers for their engagement in inclusive practice.