1 Depth Analysis of Teachers’ Knowledge and Attitude towards Inclusive Education A Basis for an Enhanced Professional Development Program Princess A. Rasco Graduate School, Mabini Colleges GS.EL 100: Professional Communication Professor Jamila M. Macapundag, MAED, MLL July 31, 2021 2 Depth Analysis of Teachers’ Knowledge and Attitude towards Inclusive Education A teacher who is studying at Graduate School, Ifugao State University, Nayon, Lamut, Ifugao conducted a research about the teachers knowledge and attitude towards inclusive education as basis for an enhanced professional development program. She is Richel C. Dapudong. She used this as her research topic in order to investigate international school teachers’ knowledge and attitude towards inclusive education of students with Special Education Needs (SEN) in the Eastern Seabord Region of Thailand. She uses a descriptive survey method to assess her study. It is effective because it analyze non-quantified topics and issues. Given that the chance to perceive the phenomenon in a completely natural and unchanged natural environment. In other words the main goal is about to describe the phenomenon and its characteristics. Most of the educators were already aware that in Inclusive Education, it is education for all. According to Dapudong’s research if the right to education for all is to become a reality, we must ensure that all learners have access to quality education that meets the basic learning needs and enriches live. Which is also the same here in the Philippines. We, Filipinos are familiar with this act. It is known as the “Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001. Stated in this act is that “schools shall have a single aim of providing the best possible basic education for all learners. Governance of basic education shall begin at the national level.” (Official Gazette of the Philippines, 2001). One of the major topics in education for the last two decades is inclusion or the organized placement or the organized placement of children with disabilities in the mainstream classroom but in some studies it is also the inclusion of all learners regarding of religion, race, gender, physical appearance. In short with or without disabilities. Inclusive Education is a learning environment where children with and without disabilities are taught together, as equals.( ) But this study focuses on t students with special education needs, or the teachers attitudes towards inclusion of children with special education needs. The four international schools included in the study were situated in the Eastern Seaboard Region of Thailand. These schools are following either the UK National Curriculum or the American Curriculum. As mentioned it depends on the teachers attitudes towards pupils with special needs and the resources available to them. 3 Analysis on the Statement of the Problem, Results and Discussion. The study sought to answer the profile of international teachers in terms of gender, age, nationality, degree held, area of specialization, years of teaching experience, training in special education, and experience in teaching students with disabilities in the classroom. Another statement of problem that the research wants to find out is if international school teachers conceptualize inclusive education as: a system of education for all, an integration of special educational needs, and a way of reducing social discrimination? The third statement of the problem is about the level of attitude of international school teachers towards inclusive education of children with special needs in terms of their: beliefs (core perspectives), feelings (expected outcomes of inclusion), and actions (classroom practices)? The fourth statement of the problem that the research wants to find out is “Are there significant differences in attitudes of international school teachers when grouped according to: gender, age, nationality, degree held, area of specialization, years of teaching experience, training in special education, and experience in teaching students with disabilities in the classroom? Lastly, what feasible intervention program can be designed to improve the knowledge and Attitude of international school teachers towards inclusive education of children with special educational needs? This can all be answered through descriptive method survey. In her study she had chosen 52 respondents out of 203 teachers., 48.1 percent of teachers are British, 15.4 percent are American teachers, an equal 9.6 percent of teachers are Canadian and Australian and 17.3 percent of the teacher respondents are from the other countries, 29 teachers have bachelor’s degrees (55.8%), 21 have master’s degrees (40.4%), and only 2 teachers (3.8%) held a doctor’s degree.(Dapudong, 2014). In this study it revealed that most of the teachers were general educators. In terms of experience 44 teachers (84.62 percent) reported that they have experienced teaching students with disabilities and only 8 teachers (15.41 percent) indicated they have not experienced teaching SEN students at all. But in this study it is stated that most lack of special education training. So even if teachers have handled learners with learning disability in a mainstream classroom their attitude and way of teaching may be different on them. There is a need to train those teachers if one of the mission of a school or institution is Inclusive Education or education for all. If they continue to accept those learners with Special Education needs without sufficient training for 4 general education teachers it may contribute fear and concern towards a reduction of academic success in school. Analysis on the review of related literature. It is also stated in the study that those children who are considered difficult to teach and those who find learning difficult are at increased risk for exclusion when schools operate in a competitive educational marketplace. So where is the essence of inclusive education there? A good point in this research is that it exposed the reality, by implying that it is hard for the part of the learner because if the teacher has negative attitude about their situation they may treat them badly. They may not be able to extend extra effort in delivering the learning to the students with special needs. The concepts of the International School Teachers knowledge on inclusive education is that inclusive education is a system of education for all. It is a strong message that despite of the insufficient training, they believe that education is the right of all children. And that inclusive education goal Is to ensure all learner to have access to an appropriate, relevant, affordable and effective education (Salamanca World Conference on SEN, 1994). In the level of attitude of international school teachers in terms of their actions and classroom practices it is stated that the result shows that majority of the teachers strongly agree to improve the SEN student learning, An individual Education Plan (IEP) that reflects individual educational needs, including academic and functional skills needed to access the general education curriculum should be provided. IT shows that there were teachers with good attitude about inclusive education but it must have a plan. They also don’t agree on the modification of the assignments of the learners with SEN, they expressed their uncertainties on if the isolation in a special classroom has a beneficial effect on the social land development needs of the students with SEN. In this review of related literature, it suggests that teachers willingness to teach or work with students with special needs is a significant factor in education. Shuban and Sharma (2005) finds out that teachers in primary school were more willing to integrate students with special needs in the classroom than those teaching grades 7 to 8. As observed elementary teachers were more child friendly, good interpersonal skills and has a fun factor (Kokemuller, 2018) to handle those learners. 5 Analysis on the differences in attitudes of IS teachers when grouped to 8 variables. Based on the result of the differences in attitudes of International school teachers both male and female have different attitude towards learning disabilities of their students. There is no significant difference in attitude of international school teachers when grouped according to gender in terms of beliefs and feelings. The male teachers in Hong Kong initially reported significantly more positive attitudes and sentiments towards inclusion with higher levels of self-efficacy than did the female teachers. We all know that male is more patient than females. However, this study finding is in contrast with the study of Dapudong (2013) concerning Thai teachers’ attitude towards educating SEN children. Ethnically speaking, the Thai people, male or female, believe that taking care of disabled children will bring good luck and spiritual merits in Buddhism. Thus, Thai people are very generous to extend financial help and volunteer work to orphanages, rehabilitation centers and foundations for disabled children. (Dapudong, 2014). There is no significant difference in the attitudes of International School teachers when grouped according to age as denoted by the computed p-values. According to the result young and old teachers have various levels of attitude towards inclusive education of children with special need. In the third variable there is no significant difference in the attitudes of International School teachers when grouped according to nationality as denoted by the computed p-values. It is stated in the findings that nationality is not a factor that makes them different in their attitude towards inclusive education of children with special needs. In the fourth variable which is the Significant Differences in Attitudes of International School Teachers when Grouped According to Degree held. There is no significant difference in the attitudes of International School teachers when grouped according to degree held as manifested by the computed pvalues. This implies that any educational attainment can obtain negative and positive attitude towards inclusive education of children with special educational needs. There is also no significant differences in Attitudes of International School Teachers when Grouped According to Area of Specialization. This implies that either teachers in Special or General Education can acquire unfavorable and favorable attitude towards inclusive education of children with special educational needs. This result differs to the previous study in Thailand conducted by Dapudong (2013) with the Thai teachers which exposed that 6 special education teachers held more positive attitude than general education teachers and teachers who have other field of specialization. The study is reliable because it use the t- test and the Anova. The t-test is a method in which it defines whether two populations are statistically different from each other, whereas ANOVA determines whether three or more populations are statistically different from each other (Petritis, 2018). It presented that all variables excluding the gender type are not significant factors that have an effect on the attitudes of the respondents toward inclusion of students with special educational needs. Based on the results of the survey, the International School teachers have limited knowledge on the inclusive education concepts. They exhibited neutral attitude towards inclusion of children with Special Educational Needs. The researcher believes that an enhancement, not an intervention program would be suited to increase the level of their knowledge and attitude towards inclusive education. It is a must if an institution wants to adapt the inclusive education program and accept learners with disability in a mainstream classroom. Better conduct lots of professional development programs or hire lots of education specialist if they don’t want to adapt it and exclude the learners’ with disability from the mainstream classroom. To sum up study of Dapudong the outcome of the present study presents the fact that there are no differences in attitudes among the international school teachers when grouped according to seven variables such as age, degree held, years of teaching experience, area of specialization, experience in teaching students with disabilities in the classroom, and training in special education. The results indicated that only gender have a significant effect on the attitude of the international school teachers. For conclusion in this study it is said to consider the demographics of the respondents when there is a need to determine the attitude towards the issue. Deliberate also the profile of the teacher applicants during the hiring process and staffing in schools. A strong fact in this research is that it recommended the teachers’ training in special education, experience in teaching children with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms and teachers’ willingness to work with SEN students in regular classes should be considered as requirement for employing teachers to work in an inclusive school. To enhance the knowledge of teachers towards inclusive education, schools need to provide more 7 special educational needs training, sufficient learning support providers and educational resources as well as in-depth specialization courses that provide specialized practices for implementing the special education strategies in their classrooms as well as offering teaching strategies on how to bridge theory and practice. The recommendation is good because it does not only focus on the trainings and resources to be given to the teachers, but it also has touch the lives of the learners with learning disability by extending their hand to their family that they can rely on inclusive education. I suggest to further study if all of the respondents undergo professional development trainings, what are the changes in their views and attitudes? Are they able to conduct an action research about the behavior of the learners in the mainstream classroom and if they were isolated from other normal children. Indeed we cannot really adapt a curriculum when we don’t have the tool, training and resources to implement it just like in farming we need tool to plant and tool to harvest. And this is what inclusive education need. Enough support to both teachers and learners for academic learning to happen. 8 References Dapudong, R. C. (2014). Teachers’ Knowledge and Attitude towards Inclusive Education: Basis for an Enhanced Professional Development Program. International Journal of Learning & Development. 4(4), 2-24. Kokemuller, N. (2018, July 1). Strengths & Qualities of an Elementary Teacher. Work|Career|Advice| Getting Ahead at Work. https://work.chron.com/strengths-qualities-elementary-teacher-8272.html Lcdphilippinesfoundation. Inclusive Education. https://www.lcdphilippinesfoundation.org/inclusiveeducation/ EDP/IT Division of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO). (2001, August 11). Republic Act No. 9155. GOVPH. https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2001/08/11/republic-act-no9155/ Navigate Life Ttexas. (2021). Educational Placements for Students with Disabilities. Texas Health and Human Services. https://www.navigatelifetexas.org/en/education-schools/educationalplacements-for-students-with-disabilities Petritis, B. (2018, November 20). T-TEST & ANOVA (ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE). Discovery in the post genomic age. https://raybiotech.com/learning-center/t-test-anova/
