Nursery school teachers' attitude on the implementation and benefits of inclusion

Abstract

It is necessary to fulfill numerous conditions so that the idea of inclusion, with all its benefits, would be implemented in nursery schools. The aim of this research was to examine nursery school teaches' attitude on the purpose and ways of implementing inclusive education, i.e. their attitude on the benefits of inclusion, determining factors for successful inclusion of children with special needs into regular nursery school groups, as well as the changes necessary for successful inclusive education. The research included 135 nursery school teachers from Nis, who completed a questionnaire designed for the purpose of this study. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were used for data analysis. The results indicate that despite many who do not wish to be engaged in inclusive education, most nursery school teachers see the benefits of inclusion and point out numerous factors as important in implementing inclusive education, and thus believe that many changes need to be done for that purpose. It can be concluded that it is necessary to conduct a detailed plan of the inclusion process, first of all in fulfilling organizational conditions and additional training of teaching staff, and also in providing support mechanisms for teachers in developing individual education plans and working with children with special needs.