Its Greatest Benefit of Inclusion Is Its Challenge”: EFL Teachers' Attitudes towards Inclusion of Learners with Disabilities

Yıl 2018, Cilt: 8 Sayı: 2, 262 - 292, 20.08.2018

Mohammad Javad Rezaı Ali Akbar Jabbarı Masoume Ahmadı

Öz

Inclusion has long
been a hotbed for debate in many educational fields but TEFL (Teaching English
as a Foreign Language). To the best knowledge of the research, no study has
been conducted on the issue of inclusion in Iran, especially considering EFL
learners with special needs. Considering teachers as the central pillar of the
inclusive education, the present study sought to investigate EFL (English as a
Foreign Language) teachers' attitudes towards the inclusion of
physically-impaired EFL learners in English language classes. To this end, a
comprehensive survey was conducted using the 25-item Opinions Relative to
Mainstreaming (ORM) scale (Antonak & Larrivee, 1995) to collect data from
254 Iranian EFL teachers, of whom 30 teachers were subsequently interviewed to
guarantee the triangulation of the findings. The data were analyzed
quantitatively and qualitatively, with the SPSS Software version 20 being used
for the quantitative analysis. Findings indicating the Iranian EFL teachers’
neutral-to-positive attitudes are thoroughly discussed in this paper. The paper
also contains some information about the perceived benefits/challenges of
inclusion, its pedagogical implications and recommendations for further research.

 

Anahtar Kelimeler

Inclusion, EFL learners with disabilities, attitude, perception, inclusive class

Kaynakça

• Alimo‐Metcalfe, B., & Alban‐Metcalfe, R. J. (2001). The development of a new transformational leadership questionnaire. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 74(1), 1-27.
• Avramidis, E., Bayliss, P., & Burden, R. (2000). A survey into mainstream teachers' attitudes towards the inclusion of children with special educational needs in the ordinary school in one local education authority. Educational Psychology, 20(2), 191-211.
• Avramidis, E., & Norwich, B. (2002) Teachers' attitudes towards integration / inclusion: A review of the literature. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 17(2), 129-147.
• Barnett, C., & Monda-Amaya, L. E. (1998). Principals' knowledge of and attitudes toward inclusion. Remedial and Special Education, 19(3), 181-192.
• Behpazhooh, A. & Torabi, A. A. (2008). A comparison of special and regular teachers’ attitudes and identifying teacher-related variables towards visually impaired students and their educational integration. Contemporary Psychology, 3(2), 50-60.
• Beh Pazhooh, A., Kakabraei, K., Shokouhi Yekta, M., Gholam Ali Lavasani, M. (2008). On the comparison between regular and special teachers' attitudes toward the inclusion of hearing-impaired students in mainstream classes. Journal of Exceptional Children.
• Briggs, J. D., Johnson, W. E., Shepherd, D. L., & Sedbrook, S. R. (2002). Teacher attitudes and attributes concerning disabilities. ACADEMİC EXCHANGE QUARTERLY, 6(2), 85-89.
• Buljevac, M., Majdak, M. & Z. Leutar, Z. (2012). The stigma of disability: Croatian experiences. Disability and Rehabilitation, 34(9), 725-732.
• Burnette, J. (1996). Including children with disabilities in general education classrooms: From policy to practice. Retrieved from citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/ download?doi=10.1.1.536.4323&rep=rep1.
• Čagran, B., & Schmidt, M. (2011). Attitudes of Slovene teachers towards the inclusion of pupils with different types of special needs in primary school. Educational Studies, 37(2), 171-195.
• Chowdhury, P. (2015). A study on the influence of the pedagogic analysis of lessons in the B. ED. course of west Bengal on the attitude of secondary school teachers towards inclusive education. International Journal of Recent Scientific Research, 6(3), 3190-3195.
• Cornoldi, C., Terreni, A., Scruggs, T. E., & Mastropieri, M. A. (1998). Teacher attitudes in Italy after twenty years of inclusion. Remedial and Special Education, 19(6), 350-356.
• De Boer A, Pijl, S. J., & Minnaert, A. (2011). Regular primary schoolteachers' attitudes towards inclusive education: A review of the literature. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 15(3), 331–53.
• Gourneau, B. (2005). Five attitudes of effective teachers: Implications for teacher training. Essays in Education, 13, 1-8.
• Green, S. L. (2014). S.T.E.M. Education: Strategies for teaching learners with special needs. New York: Nova Science Publishers.
• Hartman-Hall, H. M., & Haaga, D. A. (2002). College students' willingness to seek help for their learning disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly, 25(4), 263-274.
• Kosko, K. W., & Wilkins, J. L. (2009). General educators' in-service training and their self-perceived ability to adapt instruction for students with IEPs. The professional Educator, 33(2), 1.
• Kozulin, A, (1990), Vygotsky's psychology: A biography of ideas. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• Kuester, V. M. (2000). Ten years on: Have teacher attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities changed? Paper presented at the ISEC 2000, London.
• Kukla, A. (2000). Social constructivism and the philosophy of science. London & New York: Routledge.
• L'ecuyer, K. M. (2014). Attitudes of staff nurse preceptors related to the education of nurses with learning disabilities in clinical settings (Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation). Saint Louis University, MO, USA.
• Layton, C. A., & Lock, R. H. (2002). Sensitizing teachers to English language learner evaluation procedures for students with learning disabilities. Teacher Education and Special Education: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, 25(4), 362-367.
• Lee, S. Y., Shin, M., & Recchia, S. L. (2016). Primary caregiving as a framework for preparing early childhood preservice students to understand and work with infants. Early Education and Development, 27(3), 336-351.
• Lesar, S., Brenner, S. M., Habel, J., & Coleman, L. (1997). Preparing general education teachers for inclusive settings: a constructivist teacher education program. Teacher Education And Special Education, 20(3), 204-220.
• Lipsky, D.K., & Gartner, A (1999). Inclusive education: A requirement of a democratic society. In H. Daniels & P. Garner (Eds.) World Yearbook of Education 1999: Inclusive Education (pp.12-23). London: Kogan Page.
• May, A. L., & Stone, C. A. (2010). Stereotypes of individuals with learning disabilities: Views of college students with and without learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 43(6), 483-499.
• Minke, K. M., Bear, G. G., Deemer, S. A., & Griffin, S. M. (1996). Teachers' experiences with inclusive classrooms: Implications for special education reform. The Journal of Special Education, 30(2), 152-186.
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (1997). The Benefits of Inclusive Education: Making it Work. Washington, DC.
• Odom S. L., Vitztum J., Wolery R., Lieber J., Sandall S., Hanson M. J., & Horn E. (2004). Preschool inclusion in the United States: A review of research from an ecological systems perspective. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 4, 17-49.
• Praisner, C. L. (2003). Attitudes of elementary school principals toward the inclusion of students with disabilities. Exceptional children, 69(2), 135-145.
• Reis, S. M., McGuire, J. M., & Neu, T. W. (2000). Compensation strategies used by high-ability students with learning disabilities who succeed in college. Gifted Child Quarterly, 44(2), 123-134.
• Ritter, C. L., Michel, C. S., & Irby, B. (1999). Concerning inclusion: Perceptions of middle school students, their parents, and teachers. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 18(2), 10-16.
• Sáenz, L. M., Fuchs, L. S., & Fuchs, D. (2005). Peer-assisted learning strategies for English language learners with learning disabilities. Exceptional Children, 71(3), 231-247.
• Salend, S. J. (2008). Determining appropriate testing accommodations; Complying with NCLB and IDEA. Teaching Exceptional Children, 40(4), 14-22.
• Schmidt, M., & Ksenija, V. (2015). Attitudes of teachers towards the ınclusion of children with special needs in primary and secondary schools. Hrvatska Revija Za Rehabilitacijska Istraživanja, 51(2), 16-30.
• Shyyan, V., Thurlow, M. L., & Liu, K. K. (2008). Instructional strategies for improving achievement in reading, mathematics, and science for English language learners with disabilities. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 33(3), 145-155.
• Sigafoos, J., & Elkins, J. (1994). Concerns of teachers about the integration of children with physical versus multiple disabilities. Australasian Journal of Special Education, 18(2), 50-56.
• Skidmore, D. (1996). Towards an integrated theoretical framework for research into special educational needs. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 11(1), 33-47.
• Shade, R., & Stewart, R. (2001). General education and special education pre service teachers' attitudes towards inclusion. Preventing School Failure, 46)1), 37-41.
• Whitaker, K. L. (2011). General education teachers’ perceptions regarding inclusion in Northeast Georgia middle schools (Unpublished Dissertation Thesis). Liberty University, Lynchburg.