Work with children with disabilities: The teachers' attitudes towards inclusion

Abstract

Introduction. The aim of this paper was to determine the attitudes of physical education teachers and primary school teachers towards inclusive physical education in Serbia. Material and Methods. The research included 132 examinees of both genders: 59.09% females and 40.91% males. Data were collected using an anonymous questionnaire with a 4-point Likert scale. The questionnaire dealt with teachers' previous experience, their qualifications for implementation of inclusive physical education, support and additional training for realization of inclusive physical education. Data were processed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 20. Normality distribution was tested by Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk test, whilst the differences between groups (sexual dimorphism, environment, professional orientation) were examined using Mann- Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests at the significance level of p ≤ 0.05. Results. The findings showed that the average scores were inclined towards positive attitudes to inclusive physical education. The findings also showed that there was no statistically significant gender-related difference of attitudes between physical education teachers and primary school teachers. However, there was a statistically significant difference related to geographical background in terms of qualification levels (p = 0.02) for work with children with disorders and disabilities, as well in terms of additional training (p = 0.02) and professional orientation, since physical education teachers have less experience working with students with developmental disorders. Conclusion. Both physical education teachers and primary school teachers have positive attitudes towards inclusion. Physical education teachers have less experience working with challenged students than primary school teachers, therefore additional training programs may be required.