Administrator and Teacher Attitudes Toward Inclusion

This study was designed to examine the attitudes of teachers and administrators toward inclusion in the classroom. Specifically this study analyzed grade level, years of teaching experience, and levels of education to examine the manner in which these factors relate to attitudes of teachers and administrators toward inclusion. Participants in this study were located in 3 school districts in East Tennessee. All data were collected through an online survey distributed to prek-12 teachers by way of email from school principals. The analysis of data was based on the responses of 183 teachers and administrators from these 3 school districts. Findings indicated that education level did not play a significant role in the attitudes, training, or resources dimensions of the study. However, participant role and years of experience did play a significant role in the participants’ attitudes toward inclusion. Administrators held more positive attitudes toward inclusion than teachers and reported having more resources on inclusion than teachers. Those participants with 0-15 years of experience held more positive attitudes on inclusion than those with 16-30 plus years of experience