Abstract
This study looks into the concerns and the required professional development for adopting an inclusive education system, as expressed by elementary school teachers, based on their gender in Saudi Arabia. Participants in this research were special and general education teachers randomly selected from elementary schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which have special education programs. The theoretical framework of the study was the Concern Based Adoption Model (CBAM). Non-experimental cross-sectional survey was used to collect data. Data were obtained from 332 teachers, i.e., the response rate was 83%. The Stages of Concerns Questionnaire (SoCQ) provided by CBAM indicated that respondent stages of concern 0–2 (Unconcerned, Informational, and Personal) ranked the highest, while stages 4–6 (Consequence, Collaboration, and Refocusing) ranked the lowest. This profile was identified as a “non-user profile”, meaning respondents wanted more information about inclusive education. Teachers, in general, showed interest for professional development on inclusive education, including immediate training and seminars/workshops. The only significant difference in interest for professional development was by gender. The t-test indicated that female teachers have more interest for professional development compared to male teachers.
Highlights
According to Uditsky (1993), in inclusive education, the student with a significant disability, regardless of the degree or nature of that disability, is a welcomed and valued member in the neighborhood school
This study looks into the concerns and the required professional development for adopting an inclusive education system, as expressed by elementary school teachers, based on their gender in Saudi Arabia
This study reports an investigation of the concerns and the required professional development involved in adopting inclusive education, as expressed by elementary school teachers based on their gender in Saudi Arabia
Summary
According to Uditsky (1993), in inclusive education, the student with a significant disability, regardless of the degree or nature of that disability, is a welcomed and valued member in the neighborhood school. Regular classroom teacher teaches the student, and the teacher receives support as and when required. Most studies on inclusive education have investigated the differences in teachers’ attitude based on gender. Two studies found that male teachers have a more positive attitude toward inclusive education compared to female teachers (Chopra, 2008; Alquraini, 2011). Few other studies state that female teachers have a more positive attitude toward teaching students with disabilities in their regular classrooms (Vaz et al, 2015; Tabakhmelashvili, 2008; Al-Zyoudi, 2006). This study reports an investigation of the concerns and the required professional development involved in adopting inclusive education, as expressed by elementary school teachers based on their gender in Saudi Arabia
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