Inclusive education for all: development of an instrument to measure the teachers attitudes

Abstract

In recent years, the term inclusive education has played an unprecedented role in research and policies across the globe. It is relatively accepted to differentiate between a narrow and a broad understanding of inclusive education. On the one hand, the more narrow understanding focuses on the placement and the catering for specific students, such as those with identified special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). On the other hand, a more broad understanding of inclusive education incorporates views on the diversity of all students and supportive learning environments for all. In order to foster inclusive education for all, the literature suggests that it would be of vital importance to gain empirical data about the teachers attitudes towards inclusive education for all. Yet, recent review studies have uncovered that particularly empirical studies tend to utilise a view on students with SEND and that there seems to be a lack of attitude measurement instruments that operationalise a broader understanding of inclusive education for all.Accordingly, the present study attempted to make a unique contribution to the field of inclusive education in that it reviewed a substantial number of studies and developed a new, sound and robust instrument to measure different facets of the teachers attitudes towards inclusive education for all students. Teacher samples were drawn in Australia (n=146) and in Germany (n=238), and the data analysis revealed four dimensions of the teachers attitudes; namely, the vision, the differentiation, the general practices, and the supports as they pertain to inclusive education for all. The validity of the measurement was established and the final version seemed to be ready to use in further studies that attempt to utilise inclusive education for all, rather than for some.