Abstract

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.

Thesis Completion

2016

Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair/Advisor

Marrett, Caroline Pratt

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

College

College of Education and Human Performance

Department

Teaching, Learning, and Leadership

Degree Program

Elementary Education

Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Release Date

May 2016

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