Zimbabwean Teachers’ Attitudes Towards the Integration of Pupils with Disabilities into Regular Classrooms

Abstract

Integration of pupils with disabilities whenever possible is official educational policy in Zimbabwe. This paper reports results of surveys administered in 1989 and 1990 to 197 Zimbabwean teachers attending the University of Zimbabwe for advanced training. The results showed that levels of acceptance of the idea of integration are low and that attitudes are not unitary but rather depend upon what is being queried. Specifically, they show a clear preference ranking by type of impairment, and they differ depending upon whether their own classroom or classrooms in general are being asked about. Open‐ended questions provided more detail, supported the hierarchy of acceptance found in the closed‐ended questions and indicated that some teachers’ responses were extremely inappropriate.