The purpose of this study was to identify teacher perceptions about educating students with special needs in the general education setting, to examine relationships between teacher perceptions and years of teaching experience, grade level, and type of institution in which the teachers were employed, and to identify beliefs about the critical issues involved in implementing inclusion. A total of 1341 general and career and technology educators in grade levels PreKindergarten through grade 12 were surveyed regarding (a) the extent of previous training received in working with students with disabilities and perceived needs for additional training, (b) the frequency of communication between special and general education teachers, (c) the perceived helpfulness of suggestions given to general educators by special educators, (d) teacher participation in IEP team meetings and parent involvement in such meetings, (e) the provision of related services, and (f) teacher perceptions of their personal experiences with including students with disabilities in the general education classroom. Semistructured interviews were conducted with an additional 25 teachers selected from the entire sample as well. Results indicated that teachers in Texas public schools generally favor traditional special education service delivery models over full inclusive practices. However, results also indicated that teachers perceive additional training, support from special education personnel and administrators, teacher communication and collaboration, and access to related services are necessary in order to meet the needs of their students with disabilities in the general education setting.

Research has shown teachers' attitudes toward students with disabilities directly affect the students' performance in the general education classroom; however, more research is needed to determine what variables influence high school teacher and support staff attitudes. The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of high school general education teachers, special education teachers, and support staff toward students with disabilities in the general education classroom. The study examined multiple variables such as gender, race/ethnicity, teaching experience, educators' role, and school size; and the impact of professional development on their attitudes toward inclusion. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. Data collection included the Inclusion Attitude Scale for High School Teachers (IASHST), developed by Ernst and Roger, and then focus groups for general education teachers, special education teachers, and support staff in order to triangulate the findings. The results of this study found that general education teachers may have a more negative attitude than special education teachers and support staff. However, it is important to note that members of each focus group described what they considered to be appropriate exceptions to including students with disabilities in the general education classroom.

There are more than 2.4 million American public school students identified with learning disabilities who are served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). General education preservice teachers are expected to effectively teach all students, including those with disabilities. However, most teacher preparation programs only require a single course in teaching students with disabilities. Research shows that that teachers’ attitudes regarding inclusion are the greatest predictor of a successful inclusion classroom. This study explored the attitudes of preservice elementary and preservice secondary teachers regarding integrating students with disabilities into general education classrooms. A quantitative research design with a survey method was used in this study. The survey method included a questionnaire via Qualtrics, an online survey system used at the University of Central Florida. Findings of this study revealed that 40% of preservice teachers indicated that integrating students with disabilities in the general education class was a burden. However, due to information limitations the results for preservice elementary and preservice secondary teachers’ attitudes regarding the integration of students with disabilities in the general education classroom and the number of hours of service learning completed was inconclusive.

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