Can self-efficacy mediate between knowledge of policy, school support and teacher attitudes towards inclusive education?

Background While research has focused on understanding teachers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of children with special educational needs into general education classrooms, there are lacunae that have yet to be addressed. This study examined the association between perceived self-efficacy and attitudes towards inclusion among elementary school teachers. The study also examined the role of teachers’ self-efficacy as a mediating variable between knowledge of inclusion policy, perception of school support and teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion. Methods Teachers (N = 352) working in general or special education schools completed questionnaires assessing attitudes towards inclusion, sense of self-efficacy, knowledge of current policy, and perception of support for inclusive practices. Results Higher perceived knowledge of inclusion policy and higher perceived school support of inclusion were both related to higher self-efficacy regarding inclusion, which, in turn, was related to more positive attitudes about inclusion. Conclusion Our results suggest that point to being knowledgeable regarding local and national policy is important in order to increase feelings of self-efficacy regarding the implementation of effective educational practice. To enhance inclusion, local and national policy must be clearly communicated to teachers. Furthermore, leadership and a supportive school environment are conducive to successful inclusive education.

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The aims of the current study are therefore threefold. First, to examine the 152 association between self-efficacy and attitudes towards inclusion among Israeli 153 elementary school teachers who worked in general and special education schools.

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Second, to examine differences in attitudes towards inclusion between teachers 155 working in general versus special education settings. Third, to examine the role of 156 general education teachers' self-efficacy as a mediating variable between knowledge of inclusion policy, perception of school support and teacher attitudes towards 158 inclusion.

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Specifically, we examined the following hypotheses: 160 1. Associations will be found between background (demographic, educational, and 161 occupational) variables and attitudes toward inclusion. Teachers with a higher 162 academic degree, fewer years of experience, homeroom teachers, special education 163 teachers, and those with more experience in teaching students with special educational 164 needs will report more positive attitudes towards inclusion.      The study protocol was approved by the (name concealed) University's IRB. there missing data were random and so pairwise deletion was appropriate.

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Descriptive statistics 268 Table 1 presents the means and standard deviations of the components of 269 teachers' attitudes towards inclusion and teachers' self-efficacy for the overall sample.   288 We first examined the relationship between demographic and occupational   Table 2 shows that perception of students with moderate to severe disabilities   school support of inclusion were entered in the second step and teachers' self-efficacy 381 was entered in the third step (Table 3).  F (6, 228) 10.23*** 6.65*** 5.07*** 3.43** 6.64*** 6.90*** 10.20*** *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001 For self-efficacy df = 5, 229. . As before, the teacher role and teacher training were controlled for.

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Results presented in Table 4 show that all mediation models were significant,  Results of the current study indicate that teachers rate themselves highly on 458 self-efficacy regarding their perceived ability to teach students with disabilities. While 459 this is encouraging, other findings from our study are cause for concern. First, though be expanded upon below in discussing the results of our mediation models.

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A unique contribution of the current study is its focus on teachers in both 469 special and general education settings. We argue that attitudes of teachers in both 470 these settings are of importance as each plays a role in the success of an inclusive 471 education system. While the attitudes reported by teachers in both these settings were 472 only moderate, those of teachers within the general education system were relatively 473 higher on most scales. These results are somewhat different than those of previous studies that reported on more positive attitudes among special education teachers, 475 albeit most these studies were conducted in general education settings [5, 13 ,14]. 476 On the one hand, these findings are encouraging given that teachers who work 477 within general education settings are the main agents in implementing inclusion [13]. 478 On the other hand, these findings are also a cause for concern, since we posit that 479 teachers in special education settings must be aware of the ideological basis and 480 practical significance of inclusion in order to make appropriate recommendations 481 regarding transferring students with special educational needs into general settings.

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As we have stated elsewhere, there can be no policy without a supportive ideology, 483 and no praxis without supportive policy [42].  Based on the current findings, it is clear that in order to enhance inclusion in 502 the Israeli educational system, local and national policy must be clearly 503 communicated to teachers. Teachers must become knowledgeable in the current 504 policy, its ideological basis, and means by which is should be implemented. In 505 keeping with the 3P policy model (Philosophy, Policy, and Praxis) [42], teachers must 506 understand the philosophy and ideology behind the policy before being asked to take 507 an active role in implementing it [42].

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Our findings also indicate that school support of inclusion had both a direct 509 and an indirect association with teachers' attitudes towards inclusion. Specifically, 510 higher levels of school support regarding inclusion were associated with greater self-511 efficacy, while the latter was associated with teachers' perception of their professional The strength of the current study is in its examination of teachers in both 527 special and general education settings and in the collection of data from a large 528 sample of schools across the country. One limitation is its focus on attitudes towards 529 inclusion rather than examining the actual practice of teachers working with students 530 with disabilities. Additionally, this study is based on self-reports which may be 531 susceptible to social-desirability bias. Since our study was anonymous we hope this 532 did not occur. If it did, this would indicate that actual attitudes might be even lower 533 than those reported.

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Future studies should focus on actual practice implemented by teachers in 535 various school settings. This could potentially be achieved by self-reports, but would 536 best be measured via observational protocols within class time. Further, studies 537 should focus on the effects of inclusion on students with disabilities, focusing on 538 student academic and social achievements. One possible avenue for conducting such 539 studies is by utilizing student self-report of their experiences in their class and school.

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Findings from this study highlight the importance of knowledge of inclusion 542 policy, school support of inclusion, teacher's self-efficacy, training, and working in 543 general education settings as being important predictors of teachers' attitudes towards 544 inclusion. In terms of implications regarding the advancement of the field of inclusive 545 education, teacher training programs should not distinguish between the training of 546 special education and general education teachers [42]. This would send a message that all teachers, regardless of their workplace must be capable of teaching heterogeneous 548 classrooms and knowledgeable regarding inclusionary practices. Education. We would like to thank all research assistants who helped in carrying out 553 this study. Special thanks to Tziva Elgart for her assistance.