Ακαδημαϊκή αισιοδοξία και συμπερίληψη: Στάσεις εκπαιδευτικών πρωτοβάθμιας και δευτεροβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης

Περίληψη

The aim of this study was to examine teachers’ perceptions regarding inclusion and their academic optimism. In particular, the relationship between the two concepts was investigated along with the predictive role of basic demographic variables and of academic optimism in teachers’ perceptions regarding inclusion. Participants were 389 primary and secondary teachers. They completed the Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education Scale (Wilczenski, 1995) and the Teachers Academic Optimism Scale (Hoy et al., 2008). Findings indicated high mean scores regarding teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion and academic optimism. The educational level (primary or secondary education) and especially teachers’ knowledge on special educational needs as a result of specialized training seemed to be the most important predictive variables regarding attitudes towards inclusion. Teachers’ trust toward students and parents, as a factor of academic optimism, was significantly associated with teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion. The educational implications οf these findings are discussed.

Key-words: academic optimism, inclusion, teachers, special educational needs, primary education, secondary education