ERIC Number: EJ1037653
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1360-3116
EISSN: N/A
Attitudes of Pre-Service Mainstream Teachers in Singapore towards People with Disabilities and Inclusive Education
Thaver, Thana; Lim, Levan
International Journal of Inclusive Education, v18 n10 p1038-1052 2014
2004 has come to be seen by many in Singapore as a watershed year with the shift in the position of the government towards encouraging greater integration of students with disabilities in mainstream settings. This study investigated the attitudes of 1538 mainstream pre-service teachers towards disability and inclusive education during this period of policy change. Analysis of the data indicated that the pre-service teachers had little or no knowledge and experience with disability, and generally possessed negative attitudes towards people with disabilities. They evinced ambivalent feelings towards inclusive education, and expressed a preference for special school placements for students with disabilities. While they were open to the inclusion of students with social or communication difficulties, they were not favourable to including students with physical disabilities, sensory impairment, learning disabilities and behavioural problems in mainstream settings. Implications of these findings were discussed and recommendations were made for the inclusion of training in special education at both pre-service and in-service levels.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Preservice Teachers, Student Attitudes, Attitudes toward Disabilities, Inclusion, Special Needs Students, Educational Policy, Educational Change, Knowledge Base for Teaching, Negative Attitudes, Special Schools, Student Placement, Disabilities, Special Education, Teaching Methods, Inservice Teacher Education, Surveys
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Singapore
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A