Abstract
Positive inclusive teacher attitudes are a key factor in achieving inclusive education due to the many benefits they generate for schools and social contexts. Studies have focused on analysing which variables may promote positive attitudes. The objective of this study was to analyse the predictive power of sociodemographic variables, empathy (cognitive and emotional), and social dominance orientation (social dominance and opposition to equality) on teachers’ attitudes, sentiments, and concerns about inclusion by comparing linear relationship models and models based on fuzzy-set comparative qualitative analysis. The sample consisted of 268 teachers of different educational levels aged between 20 and 64 years (M = 42.46, SD = 9.22), 66% of whom were women. The teachers were administered the Sentiments, Attitudes, and Concerns about Inclusive Education Revised (SACIE-R) scale, the Basic Empathy Scale (BES), and the Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) scale. Two different statistical methodologies were used: traditional regression models and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) models. The results of the regression models suggest that social dominance is the main predictor of attitudes, sentiments, and concerns about inclusion. Social dominance is negatively related to attitudes and positively related to sentiments and concerns. Only opposition to equality and emotional empathy are related to attitudes. On the other hand, the results of the QCA models suggest that low social dominance and high cognitive and emotional empathy, as well as female sex, predict higher levels of positive attitudes, sentiments, and concerns about inclusion. Since teachers interact most with students, it is important to be aware of how their empathy and social dominance orientations influence inclusion to develop intervention programmes that seek to train teachers in these capabilities.
Highlights
The purpose of inclusive education is to provide educational attention that favours the maximum possible development of all students and the cohesion of all members of the community [1]
This study aims to analyse the impact of empathy, Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), and sociodemographic variables on teachers’ attitudes through hierarchal regression models (HRMs) and qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) models
Based on the results obtained from the HRMs concerning the prediction of attitudes towards inclusion, three main predictor variables were revealed: both emotional empathy and opposition to equality positively predicted attitudes, whereas social dominance negatively predicted attitudes
Summary
The purpose of inclusive education is to provide educational attention that favours the maximum possible development of all students and the cohesion of all members of the community [1]. For this reason, the majority of the world’s countries have proposed to guarantee inclusive and quality education for all by 2030, reducing the negative impact on the emotional wellbeing of students and improving coexistence in classrooms[2]. Despite progress in terms of access to mainstream schools for excluded students, the achievement of legitimate inclusive education is still in process. A change of vision is required that involves a change of perspective to understand that every student should be accepted and valued as a human being with full rights and in terms of his or her own diversity[4]
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