ERIC Number: EJ1372232
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1066-8926
EISSN: EISSN-1521-0413
Exploration of Preservice Teacher Attitudes towards Disability
Longley, Jennifer M.; Craigo, Leslie
Community College Journal of Research and Practice, v47 n1 p53-68 2023
Community colleges have a significant role in preparing early childhood educators who will likely one day teach in inclusive classrooms. Inclusive education models educate children with disabilities alongside their non-disabled peers, promoting acceptance, decreasing discrimination, and fostering a society in which everyone lives and works together. Teachers' experiences in working with children who have disabilities and attitudes toward disability affect teacher behavior and practice. The preservice teacher training years are important for preparing teacher candidates to teach in inclusive classrooms; thus, it is imperative that teacher educators have knowledge of methods that will positively impact teacher attitudes toward disability and offer experiences in classrooms with children who have disabilities. This study investigated the effect of an introductory special education course at a community college that included a fieldwork component in inclusive classrooms, as well as the ability status of the course's professor on early childhood preservice teachers' attitudes toward disability. Mixed methods pre- and posttest data was collected from 108 students enrolled in a large urban community college's teacher education program. Students attended class in-person with a professor who had a disability, in-person with a professor who did not have a disability, or online. Posttest results indicated that student attitudes toward disability became significantly more favorable after completing the course, but the professor's disability status did not influence the change. While there were positive changes, some students continued to objectify disability and perceive disability with a deficit lens. Further research is needed to foster positive attitudes toward disability in teachers.
Descriptors: Preservice Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Community Colleges, Early Childhood Teachers, Inclusion, Students with Disabilities, Teacher Education
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A