scholarly journals Preschool teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion: a comparison study between China and Germany

Author(s):  
Run Tan ◽  
Michael Lichtblau ◽  
Carina Wehmeier ◽  
Rolf Werning
Author(s):  
Jun (AJ) Ai ◽  
Jihong Zhang ◽  
Eva Horn ◽  
Hao Liu ◽  
Jingjing Huang ◽  
...  

Abstract The purpose of this study was to understand the status and influential factors of preschool teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education, given the evidence that attitudes predict successful inclusion for young children with or at risk for developmental delays or disabilities. We translated the Multidimensional Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education Scale (MATIES, Mahat, 2008) to Simplified Chinese (MATIES-C). We then administered the MATIE-C to a representative sample of in-service preschool teachers (N = 481) in Beijing, China. The confirmative factor analysis and reliability tests suggested an acceptable construct validity and internal reliability of the MATIES-C. We also found preschool teachers in Beijing held positive attitudes towards inclusion across cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions of attitudes. The ANOVA results indicate teachers' experience and knowledge about children with disabilities had statistically positive associations with favorable attitudes. Preschool area, teacher age, and educational background were also found to have a statistically significant impact on teacher attitudes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2300
Author(s):  
Constanza San Martin ◽  
Chenda Ramirez ◽  
Rubén Calvo ◽  
Yolanda Muñoz-Martínez ◽  
Umesh Sharma

Teachers play an important role in the success of inclusive practices for diverse learners in regular classrooms. It is, therefore, important to examine their beliefs and preparation to teach in inclusive classrooms. The main purpose of this study was to analyze the attitude of active Chilean teachers (n = 569) towards inclusion, their self-efficacy regarding inclusive practices, and their intention to teach in inclusive classrooms. Our secondary objectives were to explore the relationship between their attitudes and self-efficacy and to determine the influence of demographic and professional variables on these two constructs. A positive and significant relationship between teachers’ attitude and self-efficacy was found. Teacher qualification was not significantly related to attitudes towards inclusion but was negatively associated with their self-efficacy beliefs concerning inclusive practices. Secondary education teachers reported lower teaching efficacy beliefs for inclusion than pre-school, primary, and special education teachers. The type of school emerged as a significant predictor of teachers’ attitude and self-efficacy beliefs. The implications of this research and need for additional teacher and in-service training to improve educators’ attitudes and self-efficacy are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-53
Author(s):  
Anastasija Mamutović ◽  
Zorica Stanisavljević-Petrović ◽  
Marija Marković

Today's society is characterized by the expansion of scientific and technological development, leading to changes in the conception of educational work at all levels of education. The integration of digital technology is aimed at modernizing the education system. In practice, however, even the best designed media tools can quite often prove to have numerous drawbacks. Consequently, there is a need for empirical research into the educational value of digital learning tools. In view of the fact that, apart from parents, preschool teachers are the most important mediators between children and contemporary ICT devices, the aim of our study was to explore preschool teachers' perceptions of the risks and potential negative influences of computer games on children's development, behavior and learning. Teachers' attitudes were analyzed in relation to their educational level, place of work, age, and years of service, in order to identify tendencies linked to changes in the research sample structure. A quantitative approach to result analysis was employed, with a tabular and graphical presentation of the obtained data. Research results suggest teachers believe that excessive use of computer games at preschool level is accompanied by addiction, aggressive thoughts, feelings and insensitivity to scenes of violence in the real world. In contrast, teachers believe that social isolation, passivity, a decline in children's creativity and adverse effects on their physical health are not an inevitable consequence of the excessive use of computer games. As regards statistically significant differences in teachers' attitudes, the results indicate that an increase in the number of years of service and educational level is linked to increased perceptions of the drawbacks relative to the benefits of using computer games. Teachers' place of work is not statistically significant in determining their attitudes to the potential risks of using computer games.


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