1. Factors affecting the attitudes of principals of saudi general education public schools toward the inclusion of students with disabilities.
- Author
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Aldosari, Mubarak S.
- Subjects
- *
ATTITUDES toward disabilities , *INCLUSION (Disability rights) , *STUDENTS with disabilities , *GENERAL education , *PUBLIC education , *PUBLIC schools - Abstract
Research has indicated that the attitudes of principals toward students with disabilities may affect the success of the implementation of inclusive programs in schools. This study was designed to address a gap in the research regarding Saudi principals' attitudes toward inclusion. Relationships between attitudes and a number of variables were analyzed (i.e., gender, years of experience, level of school, type of student disability, personal relationships with individuals with disabilities). The study sample was drawn from the 600 public general education elementary, middle, and high schools with special education programs in Riyadh (n = 366 schools) and Jeddah (n = 234 schools) in Saudi Arabia. Each of the principals of these schools for AY2022/2023 was sent an email invitation to participate. A total of 403 respondents (67.17% response rate) successfully completed Bailey's (2004) Principals' Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education (PATIE) scale via electronic survey link. Overall, the research found that Saudi principals of public general education schools have positive attitudes toward inclusion. The factors of training in special education, personal experience with individuals with disabilities, and years of experience as principal were found to be significant in regard to more positive attitudes. Conversely, the variables of gender, level of school, and type of student disability were not found to correlate with more or less positive attitudes. While the findings of the study bode well for the implementation of inclusion in Saudi public schools, certain limitations exist, including that the study sample was entirely drawn from the two largest cities in the country. In addition, the Saudi Ministry of Education has created an incentive plan that provides financial bonuses to principals at public schools who implement inclusive and special education programming in their schools. This indicates that the target population of this study might be more inclined to be positive toward inclusion than their colleagues at private schools. The findings have implications for expanding special education training in university teacher education programs and the creation of public awareness programs designed to improve understanding of disabilities and how inclusion positively impacts society as a whole. • Few studies have focused on the population of Saudi public school principals in regard to attitudes toward inclusion. • An Arabic adaptation of the PATIE scale was used to investigate correlations between attitudes and different variables. • Regarding the variables of gender, type of student disability, and level of school, no differences in attitudes were found. • Respondents with fewer years in the position of principal were found to be more positive toward inclusion. • Personal relationships outside school with those with disabilities were found to significantly positively affect attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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