ATTITUDE OF TEACHERS TOWARDS INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: IMPLICATION FOR EDUCATION FOR ALL

Abstract

The study was carried out to determine the attitude of teachers towards inclusive education and its implication to education for all. Descriptive survey design was adopted. The population of the study was 1,183 teachers while the sample was 472 respondents. Proportionate random sampling technique was used to select 94 respondents from 31 public junior secondary schools and 378 respondents’ from124 public primary schools. In order to ensure fairness, 50% was further employed on proportionate basis to ensure equal gender representation. The questionnaire tagged ‘Attitude of Teachers towards Inclusive Education Assessment Scale (TIEAS) was used for date collection. The instrument was validated by experts while the reliability was determined by the administration of the instrument to a smaller group of respondents numbering twenty (20) in a trial test conducted in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. The reliability index was computed using Cronbach Alpha approach which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.76. The services of three (3) research assistants were employed for the administration and collection of the instruments, whereas, simple percentage counts were used to answer four (4) research questions that guided the study. Four (4) null hypotheses were formulated and analyzed with t-test at 0. 05 probability level. The result indicates that 74% of teachers are negatively disposed to inclusive education. Also, the result of null hypothesis 1 was rejected; indicating that the attitude of teachers towards special education need students is significant whereas, hypothesis 2 affirms that age and experience of teachers are of great factors. It further revealed that female teachers are more friendly and accommodating to disabled students more than their male counterparts. It is therefore recommended that teachers should be made to undergo specialized and professional training regularly to cope with inclusive education situations in integrated and mainstream school environment amongst other things.