Attitudes of Primary School Teachers Towards the Right of Pupils with

SEN in Inclusive Education: Research Study

Panagiota Kountouriotou

(Greece)

Abstract: The present research focuses on the inclusion and co-education of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream school. In particular, there is an attempt to investigate the primary school teacher’s attitude towards the right of the pupil with special educational needs in inclusive education and also to what extend these pupils should be offered the same opportunities so as to yield their full potential within the general class.
It is part of a wider research, which attempts to capture attitudes and opinions of primary school teachers regarding the possibility of inclusion of pupils with special educational needs in mainstream school, the factors that affect it and the educational practices that promote it.
The questionnaire used is “My thinking About Inclusion” — MTAI which explores the attitude of teachers towards inclusive education. The findings showed the positive attitude of most teachers in the sample towards the right of pupils with special educational needs in inclusive education. At the same time, the importance of the factor’s knowledge and training of teachers in the implementation of inclusion of pupils with special educational needs in mainstream school, are made clear.

Key words: inclusion, attitudes of teachers, training, right of inclusion of pupils with special educational
needs.