Attitudes and Perceptions of South Korean Elementary School Principals Toward the Inclusion of Students With Disabilities

209 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008.Currently, general and special education in South Korea is at an important juncture. A significant trend in the reform of South Korean education is expanding the inclusion of students with disabilities. Among various school professionals, principals have been considered the most significant players for creating successful inclusive schools. This study surveyed South Korean elementary school principals, examining their definition of inclusion, level of knowledge of legislation, attitudes toward inclusion, and perceptions about supports and resource needs for successful inclusive practices. Surveys were sent to 800 principals in four educational regions and a total of 536 surveys were returned for a response rate of 67%. The results of this research demonstrated that South Korean elementary principals agree with important inclusion concepts and generally have positive attitudes toward inclusive education. However, principals still consider special education schools to be more appropriate educational placements for students with disabilities. Also, principals reported that students with disabilities are not provided with instruction and curriculum adapted to their educational needs. In addition, they believed that their schools do not have adequate staff, administration, or supports for implementing inclusive education. Several variables, which could have influenced perceptions, attitudes, or school practices also were found. In particular, principals' knowledge of legislation, and the extent to which they received in-service training, were strongly related to perceptions, attitudes, or school practice.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD