Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/17885
Title: Inclusive education in pre-schools: predictors of pre-service teacher attitudes in Australia
Contributor(s): Hoskin, Jake (author); Boyle, Chris  (author); Anderson, Jo  (author)
Publication Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1080/13540602.2015.1005867
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/17885
Abstract: Teachers' attitudes have been identified as being vital to the success of inclusive education (IE). With pre-school student populations becoming increasingly diverse, and many children experiencing this as their first involvement in formal education, the attitudes towards IE of pre-school teachers are more important than ever. This study investigated pre-service pre-school teachers in an attempt to identify the factors that contribute to the formation of positive attitudes towards IE in this population. Participants were 139 undergraduate and postgraduate early education students studying at a metropolitan university in Australia. Results indicated that participants generally held positive attitudes towards IE, despite having concerns regarding their ability to implement the construct. Attitudes did not significantly vary through years of study of the undergraduate degree; however, postgraduate participants reported significantly lower attitudes. While those who completed a tertiary-level unit on IE were significantly more likely to display positive attitudes, neither personal experience with persons with special needs nor practical classroom experience significantly influenced attitudes. Experience, however, was found to significantly increase perceptions of self-efficacy. Findings imply the presence of unique factors associated with the attitudes of pre-service pre-school teachers. Implications for the structure of pre-service pre-school education programmes and directions for future research are discussed.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Teachers and Teaching, 21(8), p. 974-989
Publisher: Routledge
Place of Publication: United Kingdom
ISSN: 1470-1278
1354-0602
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 130312 Special Education and Disability
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 390407 Inclusive education
390411 Special education and disability
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 930302 Syllabus and Curriculum Development
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 160301 Assessment, development and evaluation of curriculum
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article

Files in This Item:
2 files
File Description SizeFormat 
Show full item record

SCOPUSTM   
Citations

22
checked on Feb 24, 2024

Page view(s)

1,194
checked on Jul 2, 2023

Download(s)

2
checked on Jul 2, 2023
Google Media

Google ScholarTM

Check

Altmetric


Items in Research UNE are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.