Teachers' Attitude Towards Inclusion Of Children With Disability In Early Childhood Development Centres In Lilongwe Malawi

Since the advent of Education For All(EFA)and emphasis on inclusive education,the sight of special need learners in regular classroom is no longer shocking in most early childhood development centers in Lilongwe,Malawi.At the helm of any successful inclusion is the teacher and the attitude they hold either promotes or inhibit education of a child.The overarching purpose of this study was to ascertain teachers general attitude towards children with disability and how it was influenced by the level of teachers,educational qualification,courses taken relating to special needs,need for training,need for support,and years of including children with special needs.Further,the study intended to find out if there was significant difference in attitude between teachers who have ever taught children with special needs in class and those who have not.A quantitative research design was adopted.A total of 88 teachers from early childhood development centers in Lilongwe Malawi participated in the study.Data analysis was conducted using IBM(?)SPSS(?)statistics version 23.Descriptive statistics,correlation analysis and t test were considered.The results showed that teachers held a moderately positive attitude.The current research also provides evidence that there is a strong relationship between teachers'attitude and need for training,support and courses a teacher has taken that relates to special need education.There was no statistical difference between attitude of teachers who have taught special needs and those who have not.The results reveal that though inclusive education is being practiced,its success is quite doubtful.It further suggest that success of the education of special need learners requires well-trained teachers in an environment that is supported.Any significant change in the education of special needs precedes a positive change in attitude from the teachers.The results reveal the depth of teachers' attitude and presents clear and real understanding of the environment in which children with disability are found.In addition,the findings have exposed the factors that favour development of a positive attitude.The findings provide a road-map for the government of Malawi on the areas to capitalize on as it defines the course for an improved inclusive education.