Attitudes and self-efficacy of pre-service teachers towards inclusion in Pakistan

This study sought to determine the attitudes and teaching self-efficacy of pre-service teachers towards the inclusion of students with disabilities into regular classrooms. A questionnaire was administered to 194 pre-service Pakistani teachers (male 73, female 121) enrolled in a 1-year teacher education programme at a government university in Pakistan. Overall, male pre-service teachers expressed more positive attitudes than their female counterparts regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classrooms. Surprisingly, those pre-service teachers majoring in special education did not express more positive attitudes towards inclusion than their counterparts who were preparing to teach in mainstream schools. However, participants with training in special education, knowledge of disability legislation, teaching experience and personal experience with a disability reported higher levels of self-efficacy towards teaching within inclusive settings. The findings of the study are discussed with possible implications for policy-makers and teacher educators in Pakistan and other countries in the South Asian region.