Committee Chair

Rausch, David W.

Committee Member

Silver, Christopher F.; Crawford, Elizabeth K.; Banks, Steven R.

Department

School of Professional Studies

College

College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

This mixed methods study was designed to investigate teachers’ perceptions and attitudes regarding students with disabilities in the inclusive classroom. According to Hogan, Lohmann, and Champion (2013), inclusive classrooms are now the norm in many K-12 schools across the United States, which has made the job of general education teachers all the more difficult. This study examined educator attitudes and perceptions in three northeast Tennessee school districts, regarding disabled students in the inclusive classroom. Teachers with a clear understanding of their perspectives toward inclusion are better able to establish classrooms with full inclusion and provide students with disabilities an education equal to that of their peers (Zaretsky, 2005). Many educators are feeling totally unprepared from a professional training perspective and need professional development to build their self-confidence to better serve students with disabilities (Crişan, Albulescu, & Turda, 2020). The participants in this study completed the Attitudes Towards Teaching All Students (ATTAS-mm) survey to assess their attitude towards teaching all students. A sample of six participants volunteered for the interview portion of the study to get a deeper understanding of educator attitudes and perceptions. Findings indicated where teachers’ attitudes and perceptions are regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities. This study provided the data needed to discern which theoretical constructs educators are aligned in order to create professional development to be utilized by a school district to assist in transitioning to a more inclusive environment.

Degree

Ph. D.; A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Date

12-2022

Subject

Inclusive education; Teachers--Attitudes

Keyword

Inclusivity; Educator Attitude; Educator Mindset

Document Type

Doctoral dissertations

DCMI Type

Text

Extent

xiii, 111 leaves

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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