Innovation, Diffusion, Adoption: Regular Teachers' Perceptions of Mainstreaming.

The purpose of this study was to facilitate the successful implementation of mainstreaming by determining the relationship between regular education teachers' perceptions of five characteristics of mainstreaming, and their stated Willingness to Continue to Mainstream. Rogers' and Shoemaker's (1971) conceptualization of a model for studying the effects of perceived characteristics (Relative Advantage, Compatibility, Simplicity, Trialability, Observability) of innovation upon the acceptance or rejection of innovation provides the conceptual framework for this study of mainstreaming. A Michigan Education Association Mainstreaming Survey was mailed to the homes of a systematic r and om sample of 1,000 regular education teachers (K-12) throughout the State of Michigan. There were 277 regular teachers (out of 527 total respondents) who returned surveys indicating that they had at least one certified special education child in a mainstreamed classroom since the 1976-77 academic school year. Items from this MEA Survey were selected for inclusion in this study if they were theoretically relevant to any one of Rogers' and Shoemaker's five characteristics of innovation. Statistical techniques included confirmatory factor analysis and stepwise multiple regression. Regular education teachers' perceptions of the Relative Advantage, Compatibility and Observability of Mainstreaming were statistically significant in predicting their Willingness to Continue to Mainstream. The results of further explanatory statistical analyses suggested that although these three characteristics are not discrete, when taken together they are important considerations for mainstreaming strategies. Regular education teachers perceptions of the Simplicity and Trialability of Mainstreaming were not statistically significant in predicting their Willingness. None of the situational variables investigated (Sex, Age, School Setting, Degree, Certification, Years of Classroom Teaching Experience, District Per Pupil Expenditure) were statistically significant in predicting Willingness to Continue to Mainstream.Ph.D.Special educationUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/159609/1/8324246.pd