Perceptions of mainstream and special education teachers towards the education of children with special educational needs in mainstream schools in the Czech Republic

The study aims at finding out the perceptions of mainstream and special education teachers towards the education of children with special educational needs in mainstream schools in the Czech Republic. Research has shown that teacher perceptions are important in determining the effectiveness of inclusive education, as teachers are the school personnel most responsible for implementing inclusive education. The research was specifically conducted in one special school for children with mental disability, autism and physical disability, Rakovník, and three mainstream schools in Prague. Qualitative, interpretive research design was used, and the research instruments employed were focus group discussion and semi structured interview. Female teachers constituted the focus group whilst one male teacher, being the deputy head teacher of one mainstream school, was interviewed. The findings suggest that the participants from the special school did not have positive perception towards the education of children with special educational needs in the mainstream setting because of the unavailability of the necessary resources and support services in the mainstream schools. The participants from the mainstream setting, although they expressed the importance of inclusive education, were of the view that the mainstream..