Preservice Teachers Sense of Efficacy and Opinions toward Inclusion of Students with Mental Retardation in Turkey

Transkript

1 Preservice teachers efficacy and opinions toward inclusion, 1 Preservice Teachers Sense of Efficacy and Opinions toward Inclusion of Students with Mental Retardation in Turkey Öğretmen adaylarının yeterlik algılamaları ve zihin engelli öğrencilerin kaynaştırılmasına ilişkin görüşleri Asst. Prof. İbrahim H. Diken Anadolu University Diken, I. H. (2006). Preservice Teachers Efficacy and Opinions Toward Inclusion of Students With Mental Retardation, Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 23,

2 Preservice teachers efficacy and opinions toward inclusion, 2 Preservice Teachers Sense of Efficacy and Opinions toward Inclusion of Students with Mental Retardation in Turkey ABSTRACT This study explored preservice teachers sense of efficacy while working with students with Mental Retardation (MR) and their opinions toward inclusion of these students in regular classrooms in Turkey. Participants of the study were 145 volunteer preservice teachers: 32 preservice teachers of students with MR, 75 preservice regular education teachers, and 38 preservice teachers of early childhood education. Data were collected using the Turkish version of the Teacher Efficacy Scale (Diken, 2004), and Turkish version of the Opinions Relative to Mainstreaming Scale (Kırcaali-İftar, 1996). In addition, an information form developed by the researcher was used to collect demographic and descriptive data about the participants. The results showed that preservice teachers held a high level of sense of efficacy to work students with MR. Results also showed that preservice teachers in general had positive attitudes toward inclusion of students with MR. Moreover, there was a moderate positive correlation between preservice teachers sense of efficacy and their opinions toward inclusion of students with MR. Results are extensively discussed. KEYWORDS: Preservice teachers, Teacher efficacy, Students with Mental Retardation, Inclusion, Opinions. Öğretmen adaylarının yeterlik algılamaları ve zihin engelli öğrencilerin kaynaştırılmasına ilişkin görüşleri ÖZ Bu çalışmanın amacı öğretmen adaylarının zihin engelli öğrencilerle çalışmalarına ilişkin yeterlik algılamalarını ve zihin engelli öğrencilerinin kaynaştırılmasına ilişkin görüşlerini belirlemektir. Araştırmanın katılımcılarını 145 gönüllü öğretmen adayı oluşturmuştur. Katılımcıların 32 si zihin engelliler, 75 i sınıf öğretmenliği ve 38 i okulöncesi öğretmenliği son sınıf öğrencisidir. Araştırmanın verileri Öğretmen Yeterlik Ölçeği Türkçe Versiyonu (Diken, 2004) ve Kaynaştırmaya İlişkin Görüşler Ölçeği Türkçe Versiyonu (Kırcaali-İftar, 1996) kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Araştırmada ayrıca, demografik ve betimsel veriler toplamak amacıyla araştırmacı tarafından geliştirilen bilgi formu kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın bulguları, öğretmen adaylarının genel olarak zihin engelli öğrencilerle çalışmaya ilişkin olarak kendilerini yeterli hissettiklerini ve genel olarak zihin engelli öğrencilerin kaynaştırılmasına ilişkin olumlu görüşler içinde olduklarını göstermiştir. Araştırmada ayrıca, öğretmen adaylarının yeterlik algılamaları ile kaynaştırmaya ilişkin görüşleri arasında orta derecede olumlu bir ilişki olduğu bulunmuştur. ANAHTAR KELİMELER: Öğretmen adayları, Öğretmen yeterliği, Zihin engelli öğrenciler, Kaynaştırma, Görüşler.

3 Preservice teachers efficacy and opinions toward inclusion, 3 Preservice Teachers Sense of Efficacy and Opinions toward Inclusion of Students with Mental Retardation in Turkey INTRODUCTION Separation and Inclusion have been two main approaches of educational placements in providing special education services to individuals with special needs all around the world. Separate education refers in general to providing special education for students with special needs in special schools or classrooms apart from regular schools or classrooms while inclusive education (inclusion) can be in general defined as providing special education services for students with special needs in regular classrooms (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2004). Inclusion has recently been one of the most preferred educational placement options in Turkey as the number of students with special needs served in regular classrooms in Turkey has been dramatically increasing in recent years (MEB, 2005). For example, there were 10,184 students with special needs in regular classrooms in 1996 (MEB, 1996); out of about 76,218 students with special needs receiving public education, there were approximately 42,225 students with special needs in regular classrooms in 2005 (MEB, 2005). These numbers mean that the educational needs of more than half of students with special needs in Turkey were currently being met in regular classrooms in Recent legislations regarding individuals with special needs (e.g., Regulations on Special Education Services, 2004) also strongly support inclusive practices in Turkey. The success of inclusion can be determined by whether special and regular educational needs of students are met appropriately and efficiently in regular placements (Batu & Kırcaali-İftar, 2005). Providing appropriate and efficient education to students with special needs in inclusive placements requires taking several crucial factors into account. These factors were identified to be associated with regular classroom teachers, students with special needs who are/or will be included, normally developing students in regular classrooms, school personnel (especially school principals and other personnel in management of the school), families of students with special needs and normally developing students, physical environment, and other supportive special education related services. Among the factors influencing the success of inclusion, regular classroom teachers have been recognized as the most important aspect of the inclusive practices since inclusive practice takes place in their classrooms (Batu and Kırcaali-İftar, 2005). Burke and Shutlerland (2004) also see teachers as one of the most important factors for the success of inclusive practices since regular and special education teachers are the ones who work most closely with students. Regarding characteristics or features of regular classroom teachers, several features have been acknowledged, such as attitudes and willingness toward including student with special needs in their regular classroom, knowledge level regarding strengths and needs of student who will be included, knowledge level of teaching approaches in inclusive placements, and the amount of good quality support they receive when needed.

4 Preservice teachers efficacy and opinions toward inclusion, 4 Batu and Kırcaali-İftar (2005) state that if regular classroom teachers have certain critical characteristics, one of the requirements for the success of inclusion is met. They identify these characteristics as being a part of assessment and planning teams, planning educational programs for student with special needs, providing and applying suggestions whether students with special needs are in regular classroom or in special classroom, providing individualized education to students with special needs, and creating the same educational opportunities for all students in the classroom. In addition to these characteristics, regular classroom teachers need to demonstrate the following characteristics; being ready to work with special education teacher as a team, being willing to contact families and other professionals when planning and providing instruction to students, and recognizing that social and personal development is as important as academic success and can be teachable (Batu & Kırcaali-İftar, 2005). Bell (1989) also recognized five essential factors influencing the success of inclusion; teacher attitudes, skills, resources, organization, and program (as quoted in Avcı, 1999). One of the critical factors influencing the success of inclusion is the attitudes of individuals involved in the process of inclusive practice. More specifically, attitudes of normally developing students, attitudes of parents both of students who have special needs and who do not have, and attitudes of school personnel have been identified as significantly influencing the success of inclusion. Attitudes of regular classroom and special education teachers are vital since these are the teachers who have direct contact with students with special needs who are included in their classrooms (Burke & Shutlerland, 2004; Cook, 2002; Garriott, Miller, & Snyder, 2003; Moberg, Zumberg, & Reinmaa, 1997). The importance of the attitudes/opinions of teachers toward inclusion of students with special needs has been widely recognized and studied around the world and in Turkey as well. In several studies (Barnett & Monda-Amaya, 1998; Bennet, DeLuca, & Bruns, 1997; Cook, Semmel & Gerber, 1999; D'Alonzo, Giordano, & VanLeeuwen, 1997; Snyder, Garriott, & Aylor, 2001; Waldron, McLeskey, & Pacchiano, 1999), attitudes of administrators, preservice and practicing teachers concerning inclusive education have been investigated. Results of these studies showed that inservice teachers, preservice teachers, and even principals had varying attitudes, both positive and negative, toward inclusion. Some studies also pointed out that including children with disabilities into regular classrooms was not favored especially by regular education teachers (Alghazo & Gaad, 2004; Bacon & Schultz, 1991; Larrivee & Cook, 1979). Several studies have been conducted in Turkey on attitudes or opinions of teachers or administrators (e.g., Atay, 1995; Batu, 1998; Baykoç-Dönmez, Avcı, & Aslan, 1999; Diken, 1998; Uysal, 1995; and Varlıer, 2004) toward inclusion of students with special needs. All of the studies conducted with teachers included inservice teachers who had or did not have experience with students with special needs. Results of the studies conducted so far in Turkey regarding opinions or attitudes toward inclusion of students with special needs showed that regular classroom teachers in general had negative experiences and opinions or attitudes toward inclusion, although most of them believed that

5 Preservice teachers efficacy and opinions toward inclusion, 5 inclusion was beneficial for students with special needs. These studies also pointed out regular classroom teachers were not willing to be part of inclusive practices because of several factors such as lack of training or education on both inclusion and students with special needs, lack of support during inclusive practices, and the number of students in their classrooms. In the literature, different findings were found while examining preservice teachers' perceptions toward including students with disabilities (Campbell, Gilmore, & Cuskelly, 2003; Garriott, Miller, & Snyder, 2003; Kirk, 1998). While both Campbell et al. and Garriott et al. reported that preservice teachers' attitudes toward including students with disabilities were more positive following university coursework, Kirk (1998) found no relationship between university coursework and either preservice teachers' positive attitudes toward inclusion of students with disabilities or a willingness to work with students with disabilities. Results of others studies conducted with preservice teachers (Goodlad & Field, 1993; Kirk, 1998; Rojewski & Pollard, 1993; Welch, 1996) revealed that preservice teachers felt inadequately prepared to serve students with disabilities in general education classrooms. Positive attitudes toward inclusion among preservice general educators appear to be one prerequisite of successful inclusion. However, research clarifying the beliefs of preservice teachers toward inclusive education appears to be limited. Although there have been several studies conducted with inservice teachers in Turkey, limited studies (Mağden & Avcı, 1999; Yıkmış, Şahbaz, & Peker, 1998) were conducted with preservice teachers. In these studies, Mağden and Avcı (1999) studied the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs on preservice teachers opinions regarding inclusion of students with special needs. They have included a total of 223 junior and senior students from three teacher preparation programs (Child Development and Preschool Education, Regular Education, and Special Education). It was found that senior students had more positive opinions toward inclusion of students with special needs than junior students. More specifically, senior students of special education held more positive opinions than other two groups. Yıkmiş, Şahbaz, and Peker, (1998) also explored effectiveness of an undergraduate level selective course on preservice teachers opinions toward inclusion of students with special needs. Twenty-eight-hour selective course lasted for a semester and included topics on inclusion and counseling of special education. Results indicated that opinions of students who took the course changed significantly in a positive direction. Another important factor which most likely has a direct impact on the success of inclusion is teachers sense of efficacy or self-confidence about teaching students with special needs. Teachers sense of efficacy or their confidence in their ability has been defined as one of the most important variables directly influencing teachers practices and student outcomes. In general, teacher efficacy is perceived as teachers belief or conviction that they can influence who well students learn, even those who may be considered difficult or unmotivated (Guskey & Passaro, 1994, p. 628). Teachers sense of efficacy has been defined as a powerful variable directly affecting teachers effectiveness on their teaching practices. Its importance has also been recognized and studied extensively in the psychological and educational literature. The results of several studies on teacher

6 Preservice teachers efficacy and opinions toward inclusion, 6 efficacy beliefs revealed that teachers with higher sense of efficacy are more optimistic about teaching using positive teaching strategies, search for new ideas in order to meet educational needs of their students, spend more time with challenging students, and focus on providing a higher quality of instruction (Allinder, 1994; Ashton & Webb, 1986; Deemer & Minke, 1999; Gibson & Dembo, 1984; Guskey, 1984; Guskey & Passaro, 1994; Ross, Cousins, & Gaddalla, 1996; Soodak & Podell, 1993; Soodak & Poddel, 1996; Stein & Wang, 1988; Woolfolk, Rosoff, & Hoy, 1990). As stated before, while the importance of teachers sense of efficacy has been recognized and studied extensively in the psychological and educational literature all around the world, studies regarding teacher efficacy in Turkey are too limited. These studies have been mostly focused on preservice and inservice science teachers sense of efficacy (Cakiroglu, Capa, & Sarikaya, 2004; Savran, Cakiroglu, & Cakiroglu, 2004; Tekkaya, Cakiroglu, & Ozkan, 2002; and Tekkaya, Cakiroglu, & Ozkan, 2004). Regarding special education teachers sense of efficacy, Diken and Ozokcu (2004) conducted a study that examined both regular and special education teachers sense of efficacy on working with students with mental retardation (MR). Of the 120 participating teachers, eighty-two (68.3%) teachers were special education teachers working with students with MR while thirty-eight (31.7 %) were regular education teachers. The results revealed that special education teachers had higher sense of efficacy than regular education teachers in working with students with MR. While the results revealed that there weren t statistical significant relationships among teachers age, years of classroom teaching experience and teachers efficacy scores, there was a positive correlation between special education teachers efficacy scores and their years of experience with students with MR. Special education teachers who had more years of experience with students with MR showed higher level sense of efficacy. Teachers sense of efficacy in working with students with special needs and their positive or negative opinions or attitudes toward inclusion were known as powerful factors shaping their behaviors and their teaching practices in inclusive practices. These are also well-known factors need to be considered for the success of the inclusion of students with MR. Literature on these two factors in the field of special education shows that there is no study examining preservice teachers sense of efficacy to work with students with MR and their opinions or attitudes toward inclusion of students with MR in Turkey. The purpose of this study was to examine both preservice teachers sense of efficacy to work with students with MR and their attitudes toward inclusion of students with MR. The following questions were addressed; 1. What is the level of sense of efficacy of preservice teachers? 2. How do preservice teachers think about inclusion of students with MR? 3. Is there a significant relationship between the scores of preservice teachers sense of efficacy and the scores of preservice teachers opinions on inclusion?

7 Preservice teachers efficacy and opinions toward inclusion, 7 METHOD Participants Preservice teachers, senior students, in three teacher preparation programs of college of education at a university in Turkey were participants of the study. The study included a total of 145 preservice teachers. More specifically, out of 60, 32 preservice teachers of students with MR (23 female, 9 male), out of 100, 75 preservice regular education teachers (58 female, 17 male), and out of 50, 38 preservice teachers of early childhood education (35 female, 3 male) volunteered to be participants of the study. Ages of preservice teachers of students with MR ranged from 19 to 33, with a mean of 23. Ages of preservice regular education teachers ranged from 20 to 26, with a mean of 22 and ages of preservice teachers of early childhood education ranged from 21 to 33, with a mean of 23. Measures Turkish version of the Teacher Efficacy Scale (TTES-Diken, 2004) was used to examine preservice teachers sense of efficacy related to working with students with MR. The Teacher Efficacy Scale was developed by Gibson and Dembo (1984) and revised by Guskey and Passaro (1994). It was adapted and validated in Turkish by Diken (2004). The TTES is a five-point Likert-type scale. A total of 16 items included in the scale are rated as 1: Strongly disagree, 2: Disagree, 3: No opinion, 4: Agree, and 5: Strongly Agree. Its internal consistency is.71. As the total score of the scale increases, teachers hold high sense of efficacy. In order to use the scale in this study, the reliability of the scale was reexamined by checking the Cronbach Alpha. Out of 16 items, the reliability coefficient of 15 items was found to be.74. Therefore, reliable 15-item scale was used in the current study. The lowest score on the scale an individual can obtain is 15, and the highest score is 75. Scores on the scale mean that the higher the total score, the higher sense of efficacy. Turkish version of Opinions Relative to Mainstreaming Scale (Kırcaali-İftar, 1997) was used to examine attitudes of preservice teachers regarding inclusion of students with MR. It was developed by Antonak and Larrivee (1995) and adapted and validated in Turkish by Kırcaali-İftar (1997) to assess teacher opinions and attitudes related to mainstreaming students with special needs in regular education classrooms. Turkish version of Opinions Relative to Mainstreaming Scale is a five point likert-type scale, including 20 items. The items are rated as 1: Strongly agree, 2: Agree, 3: No opinion, 4: Disagree, and 5: Strongly disagree. As total scores of the scale increase, negative attitudes toward inclusion increase respectively. Turkish version of Opinions Relative to Mainstreaming Scale has an internal consistency of.80. In order to use the scale in the current study, reliability of the scale for the current study was reexamined by inspecting the Cronbach Alpha. Out of 20 items, 13 items showed an internal consistency of.72, which was a reliability coefficient for the scale to be used in the study. Therefore, 13 items were used in this study. The lowest score could be gathered from the scale was 13, and the

8 Preservice teachers efficacy and opinions toward inclusion, 8 highest score could be gathered from the scale was 65. Scores on the scale mean that the higher the total score, the more negative attitudes toward inclusion of students with MR. Information Form. The researcher developed a form to gather demographic and descriptive information about the participants. Descriptive data were gathered to understand some factors influencing preservice teachers sense of efficacy and their opinions toward inclusion of students with MR. Information form included questions regarding preservice teachers opinions on the preparation in their departments to work efficiently with students with MR, or in the inclusive classrooms, their preference and intentions of choosing their fields, their feelings on being ready to work students with MR, and their likings to work students with MR. Data Collection Data were collected from senior preservice teachers of three different teacher preparation programs of the College of Education at the Spring Semester of school year. More specifically, data were collected in May of 2005 when there was only one month for participant preservice teachers to graduate. The reason why these preservice teachers were chosen was that when these preservice teachers start to work as practicing teachers, they have the highest probability of working with students with MR who comprise the largest and most frequently included group of students with disabilities. In order to identify participants of the study, all senior students in the Departments of Regular Education, Early Childhood Education, and Special Education with a major of MR were contacted and informed about the study. Senior students were then verbally asked whether they want to voluntarily participate in the study. Students who wanted to voluntarily participate in the study were given a booklet to fill it out. The booklet included the scales, Turkish version of Teacher Efficacy Scale (Diken, 2004) and Turkish version of Opinions Relative to Mainstreaming Scale (Kırcaali-İftar, 1997), and the information form. It took approximately minutes to fill out the booklet. Table 1 shows the results regarding demographic and descriptive data.

9 Preservice teachers efficacy and opinions toward inclusion, 9 Table 1. Demographic and descriptive data of participants Participant Preservice Teachers (N=145) Total Early Childhood Education Mental Retardation Regular Education Variables f % f % f % F % Gender Male Female Preference of this field in the university exam 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd th & above Intentionally choosing this field Yes No Feeling ready to work students with MR Yes No Somewhat

10 Preservice teachers efficacy and opinions toward inclusion, 10 RESULTS Preservice teachers sense of efficacy One-sample t-test was conducted to examine the preservice teachers sense of efficacy regarding working students with MR. Results revealed that, in general, preservice teachers held significantly high level of sense of efficacy to work students with MR (X=52.25, SD=7.15, t(144)=37.1, p<.05). When each group individually was examined by conducting one-sample t-test, even though there was not a significant difference, preservice teachers of students with MR held higher level of sense of efficacy to work students with MR (X=54.69, SD=7.22, t(31)=7.60, p<.05), than regular education preservice teachers (X=51.85, SD=7.36, t(74)=8.05, p<.05) and early childhood education preservice teachers (X=51.00, SD=6.31, t(37)=5.86, p<.05). Preservice teachers opinions toward inclusion In order to examine preservice teachers opinions regarding inclusion of students with MR, one-sample t-test was conducted first for the whole group and then for each group. Results indicated that preservice teachers had significantly positive attitudes toward inclusion of students with MR (X=31.62, SD=6.55, t (144) =10.3, p<.05). When each group individually was examined by conducting one-sample t-test, although there was not a significant difference, preservice teachers of students with MR held more positive opinions toward inclusion of students with MR (X=30.97, SD=7.07, t(31)=-6.43, p<.05), than early childhood education preservice teachers (X=31.57, SD=5.30, t(37)=-8.64, p<.05) and regular education preservice teachers (X=31.92, SD=6.94, t(74)=-8.83, p<.05). The relationship between preservice teachers sense of efficacy and opinions Pearson product-moment correlation was used to investigate the relationship between preservice teachers scores on their sense of efficacy and their scores on their opinions toward inclusion of students with MR. The result indicated that there was a moderate positive correlation between preservice teachers scores on their sense of efficacy and their scores on their opinions toward inclusion of students with MR (r =-.46, n = 145, p<.05). That means that preservice teachers who had high level of sense of efficacy held positive opinions toward inclusion of students with MR. Pearson product-moment correlation was used for each group to examine individually their scores on their sense of efficacy and on their opinions toward inclusion. The results disclosed that there was a moderate positive correlation between early childhood education preservice teachers scores on their sense of efficacy and their scores on their opinions toward inclusion of students with MR (r =-.44, n = 38, p<.01), between regular education preservice teachers scores on their sense of efficacy and their scores on their opinions toward inclusion of students with MR (r =-.48, n = 75, p<.01), and between scores of preservice teachers of students with MR on their sense of efficacy and their scores on their opinions toward inclusion of students with MR (r =-.43, n = 32, p<.05). That

11 Preservice teachers efficacy and opinions toward inclusion, 11 means that preservice teachers of each group who had high levels of sense of efficacy also held positive opinions toward inclusion of students with MR. DISCUSSION and CONCLUCIONS In this study, future teachers or teacher candidates sense of efficacy to work students with MR and their opinions regarding inclusion of students with MR were examined. First, preservice teachers sense of efficacy regarding working students with MR was explored. It was found that in general preservice teachers hold significantly high level of sense of efficacy to work students with MR. Moreover, preservice teachers of students with MR hold higher level of sense of efficacy to work students with MR than regular education preservice teachers and early childhood education preservice teachers. Second, results indicate that in general preservice teachers have significantly positive opinions toward inclusion of students with MR. More specifically, preservice teachers of students with MR have more positive opinions than other two groups even though there is not a significant difference. Last, it was found that the higher preservice teachers feel efficacious to work students with MR, the more they have positive opinions toward inclusion of students with MR. When we discuss all these results as a whole since they are related results, descriptive data provides us a broad picture of participant teachers current characteristics. For example, descriptive data indicates that 99 participants (68 %) of all participants feel themselves ready to work students with MR. More specifically 43 of them think that they are fully ready and 56 think they are somewhat ready. Fifty-nine (41 %) participants like to work students with MR and 68 (47 %) can t decide. In terms of choosing intentionally to be a teacher, 90 % of preservice teachers of early childhood, 97 % of preservice teachers of MR, and 89 % of preservice teachers of regular education intentionally chose to be a teacher. This descriptive data supports the idea that participant preservice teachers have a strong motivation to be a teacher and work with all kinds of students regardless of their disability in inclusive classrooms. Regarding the results of preservice teachers efficacy in the current study, they are consistent with the results of the study conducted by Diken and Ozokcu (2004). As it was found in this study, their study revealed that in general both special and general education teachers had significant sense of efficacy. Moreover, special education teachers had higher sense of efficacy than regular education teachers to work students with MR. When the results of this study are interpretated, it should be kept in mind that, as Burke and Shuthlerland (2004) discuss, preservice teachers perceptions or beliefs rely mostly on their current knowledge (what they are currently learning in their teacher preparation programs) rather than their experiences with teaching students regardless of disabilities. Their experiences are still rather limited. They have very limited experiences of observation and teaching student regardless of the disability what their teacher preparation program has provided to them. Therefore, based on their knowledge, not experiences, they might feel they have self-confidence of teaching students with MR and have positive attitudes toward inclusion of these students. Since preservice teachers of MR have had more courses

12 Preservice teachers efficacy and opinions toward inclusion, 12 and extensive knowledge of teaching students with MR, because of their teacher preparation program, it is believed they might feel more efficacious and have hold more positive attitudes toward inclusion than the other two groups of preservice teachers. When we look at the related literature, the results of studies conducted by Campbell et al. (2003) and Garriott et al. (2003) support that preservice teachers' attitudes toward including students with disabilities are more positive following university coursework. Jobe, Rust, & Brissie, (1996) also discuss that teachers who have received the most intense training for working with students with disabilities usually have the most positive attitudes toward inclusion. Although in the current study preservice teachers of early childhood education and regular education did not have extensive courses in regard to teaching students with disabilities or MR, they were provided one compulsory and several selective courses related to teaching students with disabilities and inclusion in their teacher preparation programs. However, the selective courses about special education or inclusion taken by participant preservice teachers were not identified in the current study which might be regarded as a limitation of the study. It is believed that compulsory and selective courses, if taken by participants, might have had positive influences on these preservice teachers beliefs or opinions regarding their confidence of teaching and inclusion of students with MR. Literature also supports this statement. As the results of Shade and Stewart s (2001) study revealed that even a single course can significantly change preservice teachers' attitudes toward the inclusion of children with mild disabilities in the general education classroom. Eichinger, Rizzo, and Sirotnik, (1991) and Hodge, (1998)also indicate that requiring even a separate course in special education (typically taught by special education faculty) impact positively inclusive attitudes of preservice general educators. Contrary to the results of the studies in Turkey conducted with inservice teachers on their opinions or attitudes toward inclusion, in the current study positive attitudes were held by preservice teachers. The results of the study done by Burke and Shutlerland (2004) support the findings of the current study. In that study, Burke and Shutlerland focused on the attitudes and beliefs of future (preservice) and current (inservice) teachers and found that the preservice teachers had strong belief that inclusion has a positive effect on these special education students. Preservice teachers believed all special needs students should be included compared to the beliefs of the inservice teachers, preservice teachers, more than inservice teachers, were more agreeable to work in inclusive classroom environments. The preservice teachers believed they had the knowledge and were well prepared. More specifically, preservice teachers reported they had a stronger knowledge background of disabilities than inservice teachers. What is interesting in the current study is that preservice teachers have a high sense of efficacy and positive opinions toward inclusion in contrast to the results of previous studies conducted with inservice teachers (e.g., Atay, 1995; Batu, 1998; Diken, 1998; and Uysal, 1995). The results of previous studies with inservice teachers show that inservice teachers who have had difficulties and negative experiences with inclusive practices hold negative opinions or attitudes toward inclusion.

13 Preservice teachers efficacy and opinions toward inclusion, 13 However, the current study shows that preservice teachers who have not faced the challenges of inclusive practices, but have extensive knowledge on both inclusion and students with MR, hold positive attitudes or opinions toward inclusion. That might mean that preservice teachers who have enough knowledge but not enough experience regarding students with disabilities and inclusion graduate with positive opinions. However, these positive opinions turn to negative attitudes because of negative experiences in practice. Therefore, the challenges of inservice teachers in inclusive settings need to be investigated further. Moreover, in order to prevent negative experiences of inclusion, inclusive practices need to be applied with its all requirements for getting positive outcomes from these practices. One, maybe the most important, of these requirements is changing teachers opinions in a positive way regarding inclusive practices. Also, further research, especially qualitative studies, is needed to find out which courses provided during inservice training have had the most influence on preservice teachers opinions. Moreover, further comparative studies between preservice and inservice teachers sense of efficacy to work students with disabilities and their opinions toward inclusion might provide greater insights on both preservice and inservice teacher training programs. The results should also be interpretated by considering the methodological limitation of the study. This study was conducted at a single university, and subject to the biases a single setting might impose. Therefore, further research including more participants from various settings is needed to see broad picture of opinions of preservice teachers.

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18 Preservice teachers efficacy and opinions toward inclusion, 18 TÜRKÇE ÖZET Öğretmen adaylarının yeterlik algılamaları ve zihin engelli öğrencilerin kaynaştırılmasına ilişkin görüşleri GİRİŞ Özel eğitime gereksinim duyan öğrencilerin eğitsel ihtiyaçlarının karşılanmasında ayrıştırma ve kaynaştırma iki temel yerleştirme yaklaşımı olarak görülürken, ülkemizde kaynaştırma en tercih edilen yerleştirme yaklaşımı olarak kabul edildiği görülmektedir. Örneğin, 2004 yılında yeniden gözden geçirilen Özel Eğitim Hizmetleri Yönetmeliği nde kaynaştırma nın öncelikli yerleştirme yaklaşımı olması üzerinde önemle durulmaktadır. Kaynaştırma ortamlarındaki öğrenci sayısı da geçmiş yıllara göre anlamlı şekilde artmaktadır. İlgili istatistikler ülkemizde özel eğitime gereksinim duyan ve şu an formal eğitim alan öğrencilerin yarısından fazlasının normal sınıf ortamlarında eğitim aldıklarını göstermektedir. Özel eğitime gereksinim duyan öğrencilere kaynaştırma ortamlarında uygun ve etkili öğretim sunma, pek çok önemli değişkenin veya faktörün göz önünde bulundurulmasını gerektirmektedir. Kaynaştırma uygulamalarının başarısını etkileyebilecek faktörler arasında en önemlisi, uygulamanın gerçekleştirileceği sınıftaki normal sınıf öğretmenine ve bu uygulamada önemli rolü bulunan özel eğitim öğretmenlerine ilişkin faktörlerdir. Bu faktörlerden biri belki de en önemlisi normal sınıf öğretmeninin ve özel eğitim öğretmeninin özel eğitime gereksinim duyan öğrencinin kaynaştırılmasına ilişkin varolan görüş veya tutumlarıdır. Çünkü, bu kişiler özel eğitime gereksinim duyan çocuğun kaynaştırma uygulamalarında önemli rolleri olan kişilerdir. Kaynaştırma uygulamalarının başarısını etkileyebilecek, öğretmenlere ilişkin bir diğer faktör ise, öğretmenlerin yeterlik algılamaları veya özel eğitime gereksinim duyan öğrenci ile çalışmalarına ilişkin kendilerine olan özgüven duygularıdır. Öğretmenlerin yeterlik algılamaları veya özgüven duyguları, öğretmenlerin öğretmenlik uygulamalarını ve öğretim sürecini doğrudan etkileyen önemli bir faktör olarak belirlenmiştir. Ülkemizde, kaynaştırma uygulamalarının başarısında etkili olabilecek bu iki faktöre ilişkin çalışmalara gereksinim bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, öğretmen adaylarının zihin engelli öğrencilerle çalışmalarına ilişkin yeterlik algılamalarını ve zihin engelli öğrencilerinin kaynaştırılmasına ilişkin görüşlerini belirlemektir. Bu amaçla, aşağıdaki sorular yanıtlanmaya çalışılmıştır: 1. Öğretmen adaylarının zihin engelli öğrencilerle çalışmaya ilişkin yeterlik algılamalarının düzeyi nedir? 2. Öğretmen adaylarının zihin engelli öğrencilerin kaynaştırılmasına ilişkin görüşleri ne yöndedir? 3. Öğretmen adaylarının yeterlik algılamaları ile kaynaştırmaya ilişkin görüşleri arasında anlamlı bir ilişki var mıdır?

19 Preservice teachers efficacy and opinions toward inclusion, 19 YÖNTEM Araştırmanın katılımcılarını, bir üniversitenin eğitim fakültesinde üç değişik öğretmen yetiştirme programına devam eden 145 gönüllü öğretmen adayı oluşturmuştur. Katılımcıların 32 si zihin engelliler öğretmenliği (23 bayan, 9 erkek; yaş ortalaması 23), 75 i sınıf öğretmenliği (58 bayan, 17 erkek; yaş ortalaması 22) ve 38 i okulöncesi öğretmenliği (35 bayan, 3 erkek; yaş ortalaması 23) son sınıf öğrencisidir. Araştırmanın verileri Öğretmen Yeterlik Ölçeği Türkçe Versiyonu (Diken, 2004) ve Kaynaştırmaya İlişkin Görüşler Ölçeği Türkçe Versiyonu (Kırcaali-İftar, 1996) kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Araştırmada ayrıca, demografik ve betimsel veriler toplamak amacıyla araştırmacı tarafından geliştirilen bilgi formu kullanılmıştır. BULGULAR Araştırmanın bulguları, öğretmen adaylarının genel olarak zihin engelli öğrencilerle çalışmaya ilişkin olarak kendilerini yeterli hissettiklerini göstermiştir. İstatiksel olarak anlamlı bulunmasa da, zihin engelliler öğretmenliği bölümü öğrencilerinin, diğer öğretmen adaylarına nazaran kendilerini daha yeterli hissettikleri görülmüştür. Araştırma bulguları ayrıca, öğretmen adaylarının genel olarak zihin engelli öğrencilerin kaynaştırılmasına ilişkin olumlu görüşler içinde olduklarını göstermiştir. Yine istatiksel olarak anlamlı olmasa da, zihin engelliler öğretmenliği bölümü öğrencilerinin diğer öğretmen adaylarına nazaran daha olumlu görüşler içinde oldukları görülmüştür. Araştırmada, öğretmen adaylarının yeterlik algılamaları ile kaynaştırmaya ilişkin görüşleri arasında orta derecede olumlu bir ilişki olduğu belirlenmiştir. Diğer bir deyişle, kendini zihin engelli öğrencilerle çalışmada yeterli hisseden öğretmen adayları aynı zamanda zihin engelli öğrencilerin kaynaştırılmasına ilişkin olumlu görüşler bildirmişlerdir. TARTIŞMA VE SONUÇ Araştırmada toplanan betimsel veriler, öğretmen adaylarının öğretmen olma ve özel gereksinimi ne olursa olsun tüm öğrenci gruplarıyla çalışma motivasyonlarının oldukça yüksek olduğunu göstermektedir. Bu nedenle, öğretmen adaylarının yeterlik algılamalarının yüksek olduğu düşünülmektedir. Bu araştırmada öğretmen adaylarının kendilerini yeterli hissetmesine ilişkin elde edilen bulgular, Diken ve Özokçu (2004) nun hizmet içinde görev yapan öğretmenler ile yaptıkları çalışma bulgularıyla paralellik göstermektedir. Bu araştırmada, öğretmen adaylarının zihin engelli öğrencilerin kaynaştırılmasına ilişkin olarak olumlu görüşler içinde olmaları, ülkemizde hizmet içinde görev yapan öğretmenlerin görüş veya tutumlarını inceleyen araştırma bulguları ile çelişmektedir. İlgili çalışmaların bulguları, öğretmenlerin genellikle kaynaştırmaya ilişkin olumsuz tutum veya görüş içinde olduklarını bildirmektedir. Bu çalışmada, öğretmen adaylarının zihin engelli öğrencilerle çalışmada kendilerini yeterli hissetmeleri ve bu öğrencilerin kaynaştırılmasına ilişkin olumlu görüşler içinde olmaları ile ilgili elde edilen bulgular yorumlanırken dikkat edilmesi gerek bazı noktalar bulunmaktadır. İlgili alanyazında, bilgi ve deneyim öğretmenlerin görüş veya tutumlarını etkileyen iki temel faktör olarak belirtilirken, Burke and Shuthlerland (2004), öğretmen adaylarının bu tür görüş ve

20 Preservice teachers efficacy and opinions toward inclusion, 20 inanışlarının öğretmen yetiştirme programlarından öğrendiklerine bağlı olduğunu belirtmektedir. Buna göre, öğretmen adaylarının henüz doğrudan öğretim deneyimi yaşamamış oldukları göz önünde bulundurularak bulguların yorumlanması gerekliliğini vurgulamaktadırlar. Bu çalışmada da, öğretmen adayları devam ettikleri öğretmen yetiştirme programının son döneminde bulunmaktadırlar. Yani, bu araştırma kapsamındaki öğretmen adaylarının görüşleri, şu anda zihin engelli öğrencilere ilişkin aldıkları ders ve var olan bilgilerine dayanmaktadır. Öğretmen adaylarının zihin engelli öğrencilerle ve bu öğrencilerin eğitim-öğretim uygulamalarıyla ilgili deneyimleri sınırlıdır. Bu araştırmanın bulguları ışığında ileriye dönük olarak, öğretmen adaylarının zihin engelli öğrencilerle çalışmaya ve bu öğrencilerin kaynaştırılmasına ilişkin görüşleri niteliksel araştırma desenleriyle araştırılabilir. Ayrıca, farklı grupların görüşleri (mezun olmamış öğretmen adayları, yeni mezun olmuş öğretmenler ve deneyimli öğretmenler) karşılaştırılabilir. Bu araştırmanın en önemli sınırlılığı araştırmanın katılımcılarına ilişkindir. Bu araştırmanın katılımcılarını tek bir üniversitede tek bir eğitim fakültesindeki öğretmen adayları oluşturmuştur. Bu nedenle, bu araştırmadaki konu ile ilişkili olarak farklı üniversitelerdeki farklı eğitim fakültelerinden daha fazla katılımcının olduğu araştırmalara gereksinim duyulmaktadır. Sonuç olarak, bu çalışma ile üç farklı öğretmenlik programına (Zihin Engelliler Öğretmenliği, Okulöncesi Öğretmenliği ve Sınıf Öğretmenliği) devam eden öğretmen adaylarının (son sınıf öğrencileri) zihin engelli öğrencilerle çalışmaya ilişkin olarak kendilerini yeterli hissettikleri ve zihin engelli öğrencilerin kaynaştırılmasına ilişkin olumlu tutumlar içerisinde oldukları belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca, öğretmen adaylarının kendilerini yeterli hissetme düzeyleri ile kaynaştırmaya ilişkin görüşler arasında olumlu ilişki bulunmuştur.