Attitudes towards an inclusion classroom: A qualitative meta-synthesis study from 1997--2007

The purpose of this study is to compare attitudes toward inclusion among general education (GE) and special education (SE) teachers. Between 1997 and 2007, many changes took place within the Individuals with Disabilities Act and in 2002 the introduction of No Child Left Behind. This meta-synthesis examines the teacher's attitude towards inclusion. Controversy continues over the effectiveness of an inclusion program among general education teachers (GE) and special education teachers (SE). Inclusion, as a setting, places many students with disabilities in the general education classroom. This study focused on general education and special education teachers (preservice and in-service) imposing inclusion. The proposed general research questions include: How do attitudes of the general education and special education teachers towards inclusion impact students with special needs? What problems do general education and special education teacher face? Have there been any changes in teachers' attitudes between 1997 and 2007? Comparing the results of 26 peer-reviewed journal articles on inclusion, this meta-synthesis tracked teacher's attitudes in five major themes: administration, general education attitudes, training, general and special education teachers on special education, and collaboration/co-teaching. GE teachers were initially concerned with the lack of training and behavior to handle students with disabilities. All comments were tracked with XsightRTM. The overall findings suggest that administration has to be fully committed to inclusion and provide support for teachers. Teachers need to attend staff development to learn strategies and method to teach students with disabilities. Special education teachers need to provide support in the classroom. Co-teaching seems to be the preferred method of conducting inclusion as it provides students with two teachers who can assist with content and help with behavior.