Assessing Teachers’ Views on Inclusive Education and Perceived Efficacy in Inclusive Practice

Abstract

Advocators of inclusive education (IE) argue that all students should have equal learning opportunities. They believed that students with special educational needs (SEN) would benefit in academic performance, social relationship, and mental well-being through learning in a common regular class. However, findings on efficacy of IE are mixed. Among many factors that influence the efficacy of IE, teachers’ views on IE play an important role. This study examined teachers’ views and perceived teaching efficacy regarding inclusive education. A questionnaire was put online and invited teachers’ participation in an institution of higher education in Hong Kong. Participation is voluntary and anonymous. Teachers were invited to complete the online questionnaire in 10 days. A total 107 teachers with a mean age of 49.5 years old (SD = 11.4) responded to the online survey. One-sample t-test showed that the mean scores of teachers’ views on IE was above the conceptual midpoint (t-value = 4.25, p < .001). This finding indicated that teachers were positive in their attitudes towards IE. Moreover, their views were significantly related to efficacy in teaching IE (r = .53, p < .001). Teachers’ showed positive views and perceived efficacy in teaching IE, which are expected to facilitate the implementation of IE. Researchers may examine other factors that may hamper the efficacy of inclusive education.

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Author Information
Hoi Nga Ng, Saint Francis University, Hong Kong
Kam Weng Boey, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Chi Wai Kwan, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong