CONCERNS AND ATTITUDES OF REGULAR EDUCATION TEACHERS REGARDING MAINSTREAMING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The purpose of this research was to examine the concerns and attitudes of regular education teachers with respect to having mainstreamed students in their classes. The specifically selected questions as elements of the problem were: (1) What professional background did the regular education teachers have in terms of working with mainstreamed students? (2) What other kinds of experiences outside of school did these regular education teachers have with exceptional/handicapped children? (3) What were the major concerns (negative and positive) of these regular education teachers in working with mainstreaming students? (4) What kind of supportive services have these teachers received? (5) What kinds of mainstreaming inservice training would those teachers prefer to have available to them? The study was composed of two Phases each of which surveyed regular education teachers. For Phase I, the questionnaire was given to five school districts in rural, suburban, and urban areas of Southeastern Pennsylvania. From this experience, it was decided to modify the questionnaire and to focus on a single school. In Phase II of the study the researcher concentrated on a Vocational-Technical School. The respondents\u27 comments focused on the need for training in teaching strategies for exceptionally/handicapped and also the desire for supportive services to help in implementing mainstreaming programs. Many were interested in having decreased class student ratio. Others agreed that better teacher preparation for the transition of exceptional/handicapped students from special education classes to the regular classroom was important. The majority were concerned primarily in receiving more training and support from the administrator and from specialists in the field of special education. All agreed that they would need materials and knowledge of suitable teaching methods to challenge the exceptional/handicapped student. The results of this study indicate a need for the development in each school district of a systematic program for re-education of all teachers, administrators, and supervisors concerning the preparation and education of exceptional/handicapped students in the mainstreamed concept