A study of attitude of elementary school teachers towards inclusive education

Inclusive education is a worldwide phenomenon widely advocated in the recent past. Teacher characteristics such as attitudes are considered as the most important factor for successful inclusion. The present study investigated the attitude of elementary school teachers towards inclusive education as related to certain characteristics of these teachers. A survey was conducted on a random sample of 195 elementary school teachers teaching in various private and government schools of Patiala district of Punjab. A scale for measuring the attitude towards inclusive education (ATIES) was used. The results of t-test revealed significant differences in attitude of elementary school teachers towards inclusive education with regard to gender, location, type of school, years of teaching experience, educational qualifications, teacher training, having a family member/ friend with disability and level of confidence in teaching students with disability. The implications of the results are discussed. Further, some useful recommendations are provided for teachers, educators and policy makers and implementers in India.