ERIC Number: EJ1239113
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Dec
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0952-3383
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Teacher Attitudes in Italy after 40 Years of Inclusion
Saloviita, Timo; Consegnati, Simone
British Journal of Special Education, v46 n4 p465-479 Dec 2019
In 1977, Italy adopted a policy to fully include students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms. This study surveyed the attitudes of Italian teachers towards inclusive education 40 years after this reform. The data were collected from 153 basic school teachers using the Teachers' Attitudes towards Inclusion Scale (TAIS). The results indicate that the Italian teachers had a high level of commitment to inclusive education. Approximately 90% of the respondents agreed that students with special educational needs should be educated in mainstream classrooms, and only 7% felt that they should be transferred to special education classrooms instead. To improve the quality of inclusive education, the teachers most frequently mentioned the need for more in-service training, smaller class sizes, and additional help from support teachers and therapists in the classroom.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Teacher Attitudes, Inclusion, Mainstreaming, Students with Disabilities, Special Education, Inservice Teacher Education, Small Classes, Helping Relationship, Educational Improvement
Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Italy
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A