What Predicts Teachers' Acceptance of Students with Special Educational Needs in Kindergarten?

Autor/inn/en	Lee, Frances Lai Mui; Tracey, Danielle; Barker, Katrina; Fan, Jesmond C. M.; Yeung, Alexander Seeshing
Titel	What Predicts Teachers' Acceptance of Students with Special Educational Needs in Kindergarten?
Quelle	In: Australian Journal of Educational & Developmental Psychology, 14 (2014), S.60-70 (11 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1446-5442
Schlagwörter	Inclusion; Teacher Attitudes; Attitudes toward Disabilities; Special Education Teachers; Kindergarten; Regular and Special Education Relationship; Females; Teacher Surveys; Educational Policy; Knowledge Level; Self Efficacy; Teacher Competencies; Resistance to Change; Factor Analysis; Structural Equation Models; Predictor Variables; Advocacy; Foreign Countries; Hong Kong + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Inklusion; Lehrerverhalten; Special education; Teacher; Teachers; Sonderpädagoge; Sonderpädagogik; Sonderschulwesen; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Weibliches Geschlecht; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Wissensbasis; Self-efficacy; Selbstwirksamkeit; Lehrkunst; Faktorenanalyse; Prädiktor; Sozialanwaltschaft; Ausland; Hongkong
Abstract	Despite attempts of educators and policy makers in promoting inclusive education through training and provision of extra resources, it remains unclear what is the most influential factor that may reduce teachers' resistance to and increase their advocacy of inclusive education. Teachers who have been trained in special education are usually expected to be more accepting of inclusive education. With training, kindergarten teachers would probably be more positive about placing students with special educational needs in regular settings with students without special educational needs. Trained kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong (N = 275, all female) were surveyed on three factors (their knowledge about policies regarding inclusive education, efficacy in teaching in inclusive settings, and government initiatives) that might influence two outcomes of advocacy (their resistance to inclusive education or endorsement of the inclusion of students with special educational needs). Confirmatory factor analysis defined the five distinct factors. Structural equation modelling found that of the three predictors, teachers' sense of efficacy was the strongest predictor of both advocacy outcomes. The findings imply that increasing teachers' knowledge through training or providing teachers with more resources may not be sufficient to increase teachers' advocacy of inclusive education. Instead, to better promote inclusive education, teacher education and governmental support should focus more on building teachers' efficacy in inclusive settings (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	University of Newcastle. School of Education, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia. e-mail: ajedp@newcastle.edu.au; Web site: http://www.newcastle.edu.au/group/ajedp
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10