Date
4-2014
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Chair
Sandra Battige
Keywords
comparison, inclusion, perceptions, special education, students with disabilities
Disciplines
Disability and Equity in Education | Education | Special Education and Teaching
Recommended Citation
Bruster, Debra, "Comparing the Perceptions of Inclusion between General Education and Special Education Teachers" (2014). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 814.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/814
Abstract
This causal-comparative, quantitative study compared the perceptions of inclusion of students with disabilities in the mainstream classroom that are held by high school general education teachers and high school special education teachers that teach in inclusive settings. The study determined there is a difference between the perceptions of inclusive education between teachers with different teaching assignments. Special education teachers were clearly more positive than general education teachers about the inclusion of students with disabilities, the influence of students with disabilities on the general education classroom and its students, and the management of behavior in the inclusive classroom. There was no difference in teacher self-efficacy between the two groups. The study involved teachers at six rural high schools located in Northeast Georgia. The Opinions Relative to the Integration of Students with Disabilities developed by Antonak and Larrivee (1995) was used to measure the perceptions of the participants. The results were analyzed with t-tests to identify differences in perceptions of the two groups.
