The difference among high school math, science, and English teachers' attitudes toward inclusion classroom settings.

摘要

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there is a difference among high school math, science, and English teacher attitudes toward teaching all students in an inclusive environment. Over the past three decades there has been an increased emphasis placed on teachers, to ensure that all students, including students with disabilities, are college or career-ready upon graduation. Due to the increase in the number of students with disabilities being educated in the regular classroom, teachers face the challenge of finding strategies to effectively reach an increasingly diverse classroom of students. Since research has linked teacher attitudes as having an impact on student success in the classroom, assessing teacher attitudes toward inclusion may be an important component to ensuring that students with disabilities receive a quality education. A causal comparative design was employed to determine whether or not there is a significant difference among high school math, science, and English teacher attitudes toward teaching all students in an inclusive environment as measured by three dimensions (cognitive, affective, and behavioral). High school math, science, and English teachers from a convenience sample of size 100 were solicited to volunteer to take the survey Attitudes Toward Teaching All Students (ATTAS-mm). Multiple Analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze and interpret the research results using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSSRTM) software. No statistically significant results were found. It was concluded that high school math, science, and English teachers have an overall neutral to slightly positive attitude toward inclusion. Further research may seek training that could positively influence teacher attitude, thereby creating a more successful academic environment for all students.