Preschool teachers' attitudes towards inclusion

Inkluzija je proces koji obuhvaća sve životne sastavnice, a odnosi se na kreiranje uvjeta koji osiguravaju prikladnu okolinu za razvoj i zadovoljavanje temeljnih potreba sve djece. Kvalitetna provedba inkluzivnog procesa najviše ovisi o odgojiteljima, a posebno o njihovim stavovima prema inkluziji. Cilj je ovoga rada ispitati stavove odgojitelja prema inkluziji. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 137 odgojitelja s područja Solina i Splita. Dobiveni rezultati pokazuju da su stavovi odgojitelja prema inkluziji u prosjeku pozitivni. Istraživanjem nisu zapažene vidljive razlike u stavovima odgojitelja prema inkluziji s obzirom na dob, razinu obrazovanja, godine radnoga staža, iskustvo u radu s djecom s teškoćama u razvoju te mjesto rada (Solin ili Split). Razlike se mogu primijetiti u tvrdnjama koje se odnose na motiviranost i zadovoljstvo u radu s djecom s teškoćama u razvoju pri čemu se odgojitelji s manje od 20 godina radnoga staža smatraju motiviranijima za rad s djecom s teškoćama u razvoju. Također, odgojitelji s područja Solina pokazuju slične rezultate kao i odgojitelji s područja Splita.Inclusion is a process that encompasses all life components and enables a suitable environment for development and meeting the basic needs of all children. The quality of the inclusion process depends on preschool teachers, and especially on their attitudes towards inclusion. This paper aims to examine preschool teachers' attitudes toward inclusion. The study comprised 137 preschool teachers from Split and Solin. Preschool teachers in this study, on average, exhibited positive attitudes towards inclusion. Results of the study revealed no differences concerning age, level of education, years of service, experience in working with children with special needs, and place of work (Solin or Split). The only differences could be observed in the statements related to the motivation and pleasure in working with children with special needs, where the preschool teachers with less than 20 years of service were more motivated to work with them. Also, preschool teachers from Solin area showed similar results to those from Split