The Relationship Between Collective Teacher Efficacy, Teacher Attitudes Toward Inclusion, and Highly Inclusive Elementary Schools

Abstract

Despite growing research and the federal standard of providing students with education in the least restrictive environment, students with disabilities continue to be excluded inappropriately from the general education classroom. This quantitative study was designed to identify any relationship between collective teacher efficacy, teacher attitudes towards inclusion, and the percentage of elementary students with disabilities included in general education settings for 80% or more of the school day. Elementary (K4) general and special education teachers from schools located within three select Northwest Illinois regional education areas were targeted to complete a cross-sectional survey which included established measures for collective teacher efficacy and teacher attitudes towards inclusion.

Mean survey scores for collective teacher efficacy and teacher attitudes toward inclusion were compared to each school’s percentage of students included in “01” settings to answer the research questions. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson r product-moment correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Data is also presented by demographic categories of locale classification code (city, suburban, town, and rural) and teacher classification (general and special education).

Results showed that respondents had high collective teacher efficacy and positive attitudes to inclusion. A weak, nonsignificant relationship was found between collective teacher efficacy and attitudes toward inclusion and the percentage of students with disabilities in “01” settings. These findings indicate that even when teachers have high collective teacher efficacy and feel positive about including students with disabilities, there is no impact on the percentage of students with disabilities actually being included in general education. It is recommended to repeat this study with a larger sample size and identify factors impacting segregation of students with disabilities and additional, appropriate measures for inclusion in schools beyond placement percentages.