Attitudes of Teachers Towards Inclusive Education-1-2

Attitudes of Teachers Towards Gezahegne beyene & Yinebeb Tizazu 89
Review Article
Attitudes of Teachers towards Inclusive Education in
Ethiopia
Gezahegne Beyene* & Yinebeb Tizazu**
Abstract
Many factors continue to affect and regulate the development of inclusive education in
Ethiopia. A limited understanding of the concept disability, negative attitudes towards
persons with disabilities and a hardened resistance to change are the major barrier
impeding inclusive education. In response to this, there is a growing body of literature
which argues that the problem should be approached methodically. Therefore, this
paper reviews studies on attitudes of regular teachers towards inclusive education. It
explores significance of attitudes, factors that might be affect teachers attitudes,
teachers’ role and training in an inclusive setting and challenges of inclusive education.
Teachers’ attitudes were found to be influenced by the nature and severity of the
disabling condition, training of the teacher, experience, gender and availability of
support. Implications from this review suggest the need to the availability of training,
adapted curriculum, positive attitudes and utmost responsibility of the teachers.
Key words: Inclusive education; Teachers’ attitude; Regular teachers; Regular class
INTRODUCTION Etenesh (2000), for example, found that

Inclusive education is a process of enabling most teachers reject the admission of
all children to learn and participate students with disabilities into their schools.
effectively within mainstream school The same source indicates that teachers
systems. It does not segregate children who also refuse the placement of students with
have different abilities or needs. This, in disability in their classes with the notion
other words, is to indicate the shift of that this could be unrewarding and
thinking from an unnatural segregated burdensome. The rejection is stronger with
setting toward supporting inclusive those children with severe disabilities than
schools. In Ethiopia, the movement those with less severe disabilities are. On
towards inclusive education continues on the other hand, a growing body of research,
the assumption that teachers are willing to like (Wood, 1992; as cited by abate 2001)
admit students within the regular classes refutes claiming that perceptions and
and be responsible for meeting their needs. attitudes of teachers are gradually
However, negative attitudes and improving in a positive direction in
misconceptions have begun to be reflected inclusive educational setting. Whatever the
in a researches conducted in some schools. case may be, attitudes of teachers toward
____________________________________________________________
* Ph. D Student at Addis Ababa University, Education Faculty.
** Lecturer, Research and Consultancy Coordination Office, Ethiopia Civil Service
College
Ethiop. J. Educ. & Sc. Vol. 6 No 1 September 2010 90
inclusive education must be given the due in some countries have opened the way for
attention it deserves if inclusive education better provision of education to children
is to be favored and practiced as with disabilities (Moores, 1996; as cited in
educational modality. Abebe, 2001). The issues of inclusive
education and its implication for education
have been under scrutiny during the past
METHODOLOGY thirty years. Today, societies have become
Systematic literature review was concerned with ensuring the educational
conducted for most articles published rights for all children in disregarding
pertinent to inclusive education from1997- severity of disabilities. As a result, the
2010. The objective is to bring together integration of students with disabilities into
scientific papers on the topic, describe the the regular educational setting as regular
content, summarize it, and identify gaps for class students has become the concern of
further research. Altogether, more than 12 educators, governments, and the society at
sources, which were relevant to inclusive large (Millward and Dyson, 1995; as cited
education, were searched. The data was by Tesfay, 2005).
collected between 1995 and 2007 from,
Journals of Psychology; Journal of Special However, the main challenge with
Needs Education, unpublished report, integration/inclusion is that mainstreaming
unpublished master thesis conference has not been accompanied by changes in
documents, and electronic databases - Eric. the organization of the ordinary school, its
In the search, no restrictions were applied curriculum and teaching and learning
in terms of age, country, disability group, strategies (UNESCO, 2005; as cited by
gender, economic characteristics and Tilahun, 2007). This lack of organization
outcome measures. Because, the main change has proved to be one of the major
purpose of this review was to focus on barriers to implementation of inclusive
established findings on inclusive education, policies.
only papers that included the phenomena
were selected. A geographical filter was Incorporating inclusive education as a
important to expose the situation in guiding practice typically requires change
Ethiopia and hence local samples were in education systems, and this change
included largely. process is frequently faced with several
challenges as mentioned above. Inclusive
As the data focused on very different education involves important shifts and
research types within the topic- both changes at the system as well as societal
qualitative and quantitative descriptions, it level (UNESCO, 2005; as cited by Tilahun,
was not possible to determine a statistical 2007). Therefore, the move toward
meta-analysis. Instead, results were inclusive education is not simply a
analyzed using content analysis. Some of technical or organizational change but also
the available research even has not been a movement with clear philosophy. In order
published. The study can, therefore, not for inclusive education to be implemented
make any assumptions about possible bias effectively, countries need to define a set of
within individual research papers. inclusive principles together with practical
ideas to guide the transition towards
Inclusive Education policies addressing inclusive education in
The growing in public awareness, the education
achievement in the technological
advancement and the improved legislation Recent reports of successful trends of
inclusive education have been reported

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Attitudes of Teachers Towards Gezahegne beyene & Yinebeb Tizazu 89

INTRODUCTION Etenesh (2000), for example, found that

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