Received: 9 June 2023 | Accepted: 25 November 2023

DOI: 10.1111/1471-3802.12639

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Special education Teachers' attitudes to teaching students with

disabilities in the regular school system in the United Arab Emirates

Razan Numan Alkhatib1 | Mahmoud Gharaibeh1 | Samir Jabra Dukmak1 |

Mervat Amin Ijha2

1
College of Education, Humanities & Abstract
Social Sciences, Al Ain University, Al Ain,
United Arab Emirates
Special education teachers' attitudes to teaching students with disabilities in the
2
College of Cognitive Sciences, United
regular classroom were investigated alongside demographic characteristics. They
Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United had positive attitudes to inclusive teaching, with males, expatriates and Cycle.
Arab Emirates Two teachers being more positive. Attitudes towards inclusion were not, however,
Correspondence
significantly correlated with age, place of residence, education, teaching experience
Samir Jabra Dukmak, College of or specialty. These findings offer the Ministry of Education important evidence
Education, Humanities & Social Sciences, on teacher attitudes to inclusive education, for the promotion of collaboration,
Al Ain University, Al Ain, United Arab
Emirates.
respect and equality. Through inclusion, students with disabilities can form
Email: [email protected] and positive relationships with peers and grow to become fully participating members
[email protected] of the learning community.

K EY WOR DS
attitudes, educational inclusion, regular schools, special education teachers, students with
disabilities

Key points

• Attitudes towards inclusion: Special education teachers in primary general edu-

cation schools in the UAE were positive towards inclusion.
• Demographics and attitude: Gender and place of residence correlated with atti-
tudes to inclusion, while length of experience correlated only with being positive
about inclusion.
• Culture of collaboration: This study provides important evidence regarding
teacher attitudes to inclusion, which will be helpful in creating a culture of col-
laboration, mutual respect and equality.
• Inclusion benefits: Through inclusion, students with disabilities can form posi-
tive relationships with peers and become fully participating members of the
learning community. Therefore, future inclusion efforts in the UAE must foster
positive attitudes.

I N T RODUC T ION understanding from these teachers as they experience

more diverse student abilities in the classroom. Indeed,
The attitudes of general and special education teach- how the two groups view inclusive education influences
ers (SETs) are crucial to delivering inclusive educa- its success in the primary classroom, with personal expe-
tion for special education students (Chopra, 2008), rience, socio-­cultural ideas, values and practices shap-
Although there is little evidence to support the diver- ing these attitudes; as such, teacher personality traits
gent opinions on inclusive education held by these two and demographics become relevant determinants to at-
groups (Rofiah, 2022). Inclusion requires sensitivity and titudes in general (Louden, 2008; Scorgie, 2010) and to

© 2023 National Association for Special Educational Needs.

J Res Spec Educ Needs. 2024;24:405–416.  wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jrs3 | 405

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406 |    ALKHATIB et al.

attitudes towards co-­teaching (Obeidat, 2020). These at- with disabilities, and such provisions affect annual in-
titudes are shaped by life experiences, and, from a be- spection rankings. There have been some improvements,
havioural standpoint, are responses to stimuli ‘that can such as in the UAE's disability admission process, school
be established through interaction’ (Cherry, 2014). accessibility, teacher professional development, learn-
Attitude, a learned inclination to evaluate, has ing support assistant recruitment and school leadership
emotional, cognitive and behavioural components (Gaad, 2019); however, when implementing inclusive
(Cherry, 2014). Mergel et al. (2008) states that a stimu- education, UAE teachers still encounter difficulties, in-
lus–response relationship is reinforced when positively cluding restrictive curricula, limited inclusive thinking
rewarded, and vice versa. Ajzen and Sexton (1999) as well and insufficient resources (Alborno, 2017; Anati, 2013;
as Marsh and Wallace (2005) suggested that beliefs in- Gaad, 2011). These studies agree that most teachers feel
fluence attitude formation; these attitudes are a function unprepared for inclusion and many appear negative to-
of their beliefs or knowledge. Thus, beliefs regarding the wards inclusion.
attributes of something, including inclusive education,
influence attitudes to it. For example, if parents believe
inclusion is improper or harmful to their children's learn- E F F EC T S OF T E AC H E R S'
ing, their attitudes will be negative, whereas those who AT T I T U DE S TOWA R D S I NC LUSION
believe it has benefits may be positive. In turn, attitudes
affect behaviour. Ajzen and Fishbein (1977) and Ajzen The effectiveness of inclusion is influenced by teach-
et al. (2018) found a strong positive link between attitude ers' attitudes (Engelbrecht et al., 2013; Hernandez
and conduct towards any variable. All conduct involves et al., 2016), which, in turn, influence whether inclu-
one or more qualitatively or quantitatively distinct ac- sion is positively experienced (Buell et al., 1999). More
tion choices. According to attitude-­ behaviour theory, positive teacher attitudes towards inclusiveness tend to
behavioural intentions are strongly impacted by one's at- raise productivity, influence special education students'
titude to the outcome of a behaviour or one's perception behaviour, performance and academic achievement
of risks and benefits (BUSPH, 2013). Cherry (2014) also (Benkohila et al., 2020), and affect practice and policy de-
states that attitudes and social norms strongly influence cisions (Alzyoudi et al., 2022). Their support is therefore
human behaviour. critical to the success of inclusion (Alzyoudi et al., 2022;
The Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994) advo- Fakolade & Adeniyi, 2009; Mouchritsa et al., 2022;
cates that ‘schools should accommodate all children re- Politou, 2022). Teachers must thus identify their attitudes
gardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, towards students with disabilities so as not to disrupt the
linguistic or other conditions’ (p. 6), and describes in- latter's work and the success of inclusion (Alabdallat
clusion as ‘the most effective means of combating dis- et al., 2021; Mezquita-­Hoyos et al., 2018; Parker, 2009).
crimination, creating welcoming communities, building However, responsible inclusion requires teachers and
an inclusive society, and achieving education for all’ (p. administrators to learn new skills and accept new roles,
ix). Furthermore, inclusive schools ‘improve the effi- which many will resist (Malinen et al., 2012).
ciency and ultimately the cost-­effectiveness of the entire In summary, research has consistently shown that
education system’ (UNESCO, 1994, p. ix). Barton and teachers' attitudes significantly affect the implemen-
Smith (2015) conclude that ‘high-­quality inclusive envi- tation of inclusion (Al-­ Shammari, 2006; Rodríguez
ronments are correlated with positive outcomes for all et al., 2012), with positive attitudes contributing to its suc-
young children, including children with disabilities’. cess (Abu-­Hamour & Muhaidat, 2013; Salceanu, 2020;
Considering law and education policy in the United Su et al., 2020).
Arab Emirates (UAE), Federal Law No. 29 of 2006 rec-
ognises that people with disabilities have the same rights
as others and guarantees them equal access to education SPEC I A L E DUCAT ION T E AC H E R S'
(Ministry of Social Affairs, 2006). The ‘School for All’ AT T I T U DE S TOWA R D S I NC LUSION
policy of the Ministry of Education (MoE) (2010) estab-
lished rules and guidelines for providing programmes for Research suggests that gender tends to affect teachers'
everyone. The Ministry's most recent Strategic Plan (2018) inclusion attitudes (Alahbabi, 2006). Just two studies
reaffirmed the country's commitment to ensuring a good found no significant gender difference in inclusion at-
education for everyone. Dubai's inclusive education pol- titudes (Abu-­Hamour & Muhaidat, 2013; Leonard &
icy framework (KHDA, 2017) recognises a shift from a Smyth, 2020), and one analysis of 300 general and spe-
medical to a rights-­based model of disability and empha- cial education teachers found males more supportive
sises teachers' role in ensuring that all students receive of including children with severe intellectual disabili-
a fair and equitable education (Badr, 2019; Elhoweris ties (Alquraini, 2012). Later research, however, contra-
& Efthymiou, 2020; Gaad, 2019; UAE Government dicted this finding (Monsen et al., 2014; Priyadarshini
Portal, 2020). Schools must also document their aca- & Thangarajathi, 2017). More studies can be found
demic, social and cultural accommodations for students in which female teachers are more positive than males
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SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS ATTITUDES TO INCLUSION    | 407

towards inclusion. Politou (2022) found that 160 spe- children with disabilities—were concerned about inclu-
cial education instructors were more concerned about sion at in-­s ervice (Gumpel & Awartani, 2003) and pre-
ADHD inclusion, but their gender did not affect their service levels (El-­A shry, 2009; Romi & Leyser, 2006).
concerns. The modest to moderate positive link between These concerns may be due to inclusion being new
gender and beliefs was that women were more optimistic and less common in Arab countries. In contrast, US
about ADHD adolescents in regular schools and females and German instructors were more positive about in-
were more optimistic about inclusion more generally. clusion (Leyser et al., 1994); likewise, in Indonesia, a
Alzyoudi et al. (2022) evaluated 310 UAE regular and study of 135 Indonesian general and special education
special education teachers' attitudes; while all supported primary teachers' attitudes to inclusion indicated that
inclusion, the females were more positive than the males. rural teachers scored higher on the MATIES scale
Saloviita (2020) also found females more optimistic, ex- than urban ones (Rofiah, 2022). Hussain (2017) found
cept for special education instructors, when the analy- that the main influence of UAE preschool teachers' at-
sis was extended to teacher categories. According to titudes to inclusion was cultural identity, with Asians
Mouchritsa et al. (2022), of 307 educators, females sup- having better attitudes towards inclusion than Gulf or
ported inclusive education more than males, and were African teachers.
almost equally divided between general and special There are also some socio-­c ultural concerns about
education. inclusion among teachers, especially regarding the na-
Age may also affect teachers' attitudes towards ture of the educational needs or disabilities children
inclusion, with several studies finding that younger have. A survey of 87 Malay SETs found less positive
teachers are more supportive of inclusion (Avramidis attitudes towards inclusion for ASD students than
et al., 2000; Buford & Casey, 2012; Burge et al., 2008; among Americans and Swedes, specifically to ‘expect-
Forlin, 1995; Forlin et al., 2009). Teachers under ing non-­special education teachers to teach students
30 years old rated significantly higher than older ones. with ASD’ and ‘teachers without extensive special ed-
Saloviita (2020) observed that younger teachers' views ucation training to help a child with ASD’ (Armstrong
were only marginally more positive, with F(4,770) = 3.853 et al., 2011). The authors believed these sentiments
and F(4,335) = 3.97 for general and special education reflect a broader belief that educational and social
teachers, respectively. There is some evidence that older segregation of ASD students is about protecting them
teachers are more hostile to inclusion due to lacking rel- from social ills rather than denying them inclusion.
evant training and inclusive policies requiring changes This socio-­c ultural approach highlights the need to re-
to their practices. The latter aspect thus challenges think inclusive education for ASD students. Although
their perception of competence in working with special SETs tend to be more optimistic about social integra-
education students. Abu-­Hamour and Muhaidat (2013) tion than educational inclusion of ASD students, SETs
found that 92 special education instructors aged 20–30 with less positive views on educational and social in-
in Amman, Jordan, were positive about including chil- clusion may still accept ASD students. The ‘individ-
dren with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, ualism–collectivism’ paradigm of societal attitudes
Vaz et al. (2015) found that teachers over 55 were less to mental illness (Papadopoulos et al., 2013) supports
positive. In the Abu-­Hamour and Muhaidat study, the past research that teachers with better ASD knowledge
inclusionary mindset of recent special education bach- are more competent to provide inclusive education for
elor's degree graduates was given as a reason for their students with ASD.
greater positivity. On training, Finnish educators iden- Jury et al. (2021) surveyed 311 French teachers and
tified this aspect as fundamentally shaping attitudes to found SETs were more positive about inclusion than
inclusion and few considered it beneficial to place stu- general teachers but less positive about including stu-
dents in special education classrooms (Saloviita, 2020); dents with ASD than those with motor impairment and
moreover, general education teachers were more neg- cognitive disorders. Teachers wanted more specialised
ative than special education regarding children with training in teaching children with disabilities and were
deafness, blindness, severe behavioural problems and most concerned about managing students with various
mild mental retardation (Karakoidas & Dimas, 1998). disabilities and behaviour issues. Alghazo and Naggar
Culture may also be an influential factor on attitude Gaad (2004) observed that 52 UAE general education
to inclusion. Gaad and Khan (2007) studied the UAE's teachers had favourable attitudes towards students with
cultural perception of disability and were dissatisfied physical and visual disabilities but not cognitive defi-
with the inclusion process in schools, based on inappro- cits. Most adversely, Djordjevic et al. (2018) showed that
priate training for regular classroom teachers, senior Serbian teachers disapproved of including students with
administrators' ignorance of inclusion and poor social disabilities in the classroom and exhibited animosity
awareness of children's issues. Alghazo et al. (2003) towards intellectual disabilities, autism, deafness and
identified Jordanian teachers' concerns about inclusive blindness.
teacher training and development, while Palestinian Experience of teaching generally, of teaching
and Egyptian teachers—inexperienced at teaching special education needs and development (SEND)
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408 |    ALKHATIB et al.

children, and/or having higher qualifications also were significantly more positive. Priyadarshini and
seems to influence teachers' attitudes. In Australia, Thangarajathi (2017) also found class level had such an
Hsien et al. (2009) identified that postgraduate SETs influence. However, the literature is equivocal as other
found inclusion helpful and met all children's needs. studies found attitudes to inclusion were not signifi-
Contrary to teachers without a special education back- cantly influenced by grade level taught (Alquraini, 2012;
ground, they believed inclusion does not disadvantage Fakih, 2019). In this regard, cultural factors may be
other children. Their training may have raised aware- relevant. In India, where students with disabilities are
ness of inclusion and explain the different responses mainly taught by classroom teachers, grade and stu-
from instructors with and without postgraduate special dent developmental level is significant since, in inclusive
education qualifications. Regular primary teachers in classrooms, younger students will require more atten-
the UAE teaching SEND students inclusively viewed tion. However, at the time of the Alquraini study, SEND
inclusion as beneficial for all learners (Fakih, 2019). In students in Saudi Arabia were typically not educated
a UAE-­w ide study, Alzyoudi et al. (2022) found that, inclusively; the study's results suggest that general and
while SETs were more positive, all teachers with spe- special education teachers may not have taught students
cial education knowledge, abilities and training were with severe intellectual disabilities and so grade level did
positive about inclusion. Their attitudes were not re- not influence their attitudes (Alquraini, 2012).
lated to experience, academic qualifications and ed- While Hussain (2017) studied UAE preschool teach-
ucational role, but to knowledge, skills and special ers' attitudes to inclusion, this study did not include UAE
education training, especially classroom management preschool teachers subsequent to the MoE's 2006 special
and responding to learner differences. Similarly, in education programme reforms. Moreover, the applica-
Greece, teachers with over 10 years' experience were tion of inclusion programmes has been more apparent
less negative towards inclusion, while those with in high schools than elementary schools, and the effect
under 5 years' special education experience had con- of primary teachers' attitudes to inclusion has not been
cerns (Mouchritsa et al., 2022). Cassimos et al. (2015) explicitly evaluated in a UAE preschool setting.
also found that those with training or experience in
SEND teaching (ASD) were more positive about inclu-
sion, as were experienced Jordanian teachers (Alkinj R E SE A RC H QU E ST ION S
et al., 2022). Self-­efficacious teachers with knowledge
of inclusion may also positively affect student achieve- The study investigates the attitudes of UAE special edu-
ment (e.g., Klassen & Tze, 2014; Meijer, 2016). In con- cation teachers to inclusion in relation to demographic
trast, Berry (2010) reported a negative association of characteristics, via the following questions:
general teaching experience with positivity towards
inclusion, while Ross-­ H ill (2009) and Buford and 1. What are SET attitudes to teaching students with
Casey (2012) found no significant relationship between disabilities in regular classrooms?
teachers' overall attitude and length of experience. 2. Does gender, age, nationality (Emirati vs expatri-
General education teachers may support inclusion but ate), grades taught (Cycles One and Two) and place
struggle to implement it (Brownell & Pajares, 1999; Buell of residence affect SET attitudes towards educational
et al., 1999; Cornoldi et al., 1998; Lopes et al., 2004). These inclusion?
teachers also reported lower confidence in inclusive 3. Does education level, teaching experience and spe-
classrooms, notably in planning and modifying instruc- cialty (general and SETs) affect SET attitudes to
tions (D'A lonzo et al., 1998; Schumm & Vaughn, 1991). inclusion?
Additionally, general education teachers believe SETs
are better trained to teach inclusively (Lopes et al., 2004;
O'Shea et al., 2000; Wright & Sigafoos, 1997). SETs also M AT E R I A L S A N D M ET HOD S
tend to have more optimistic perspectives on inclusion
(Cochran, 1998; Forlin et al., 1996; Romi & Leyser, 2006; The following steps were taken prior to data collection:
Villa et al., 1996) and are more likely to intervene during
conflicts, seeing themselves as integral in fostering posi- 1. MoE offices were briefed and access to schools was
tive relationships between all children (Pavri & Monda-­ requested;
Amaya, 2001); this indicates their increased confidence 2. Principals were asked to provide data on the number
and efficacy. of UAE primary schools and how many SETs were
In another UAE study, Alahbabi (2006) investi- teaching students inclusively;
gated the attitudes of state school teachers to inclusion 3. A sample of regular primary schools was selected from
based on teacher type (special or general education) each emirate;
and grade (kindergarten, elementary, middle or high 4. Data collectors were appointed to gather data from
school). General education teachers were found more the selected schools;
resistant to inclusion, while SETs and primary teachers 5. A sample of SETs was chosen.
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SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS ATTITUDES TO INCLUSION    | 409

SA M PL E SE L E C T ION T A B L E 1 Adult attitude scale, internal consistency and test–

retest reliability.
A N D PROC E DU R E S
Test–retest
Three or four special education supervisors working Internal consistency reliability
across the UAE's eight education zones (Abu Dhabi,
No. of items α- ­coefficient N R N
Dubai, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, Ras Al
Khaima, Fujairah, and the Western Education Zone) 34 0.952 250 0.85 210
were appointed to gather data, with each supervising
SETs in five state schools. They distributed question-
naires and asked for their return upon completion as 290 R E SU LT S
questionnaires were returned (return rate 65%). Having
received written MoE authorisation, the main investiga- Participants
tor met 10 supervisors (representing all education zones),
introduced them to the study and trained them to collect Demographic data were gathered on 290 SETs for gen-
data. The school principals informed the selected teachers der, age, nationality (Emirati/expatriate), place of resi-
about the project and the principal investigator obtained dence, grades and subjects taught, years of experience,
written consent before distributing the questionnaires. level of education and specialty (Table 2).
Table 2 shows that over three-­quarters of the SET
respondents were females aged 25–60 years (M = 34.68,
STAT I ST ICA L A NA LYSI S SD = 7.21). Over half of the respondents (59.9%) were
Emiratis and the rest expatriates. The largest group by
An ex post facto research design was used, and the data area of residence (17.6%) lived in Fujairah Emirate and
analysis comprised four procedures using IBM SPSS the smallest (2.4%) in the Western Zone. Most (93.8%)
Statistics version 26: had a bachelor's degree, while 3.5% and 2.8%, respec-
tively, had a diploma or master's degree. The specialty
1. Descriptive statistics, namely participants' mean of most participants (90.6%) was special education, but
scores with standard deviations on a scale devel- maths, science and psychology were also represented.
oped to measure attitude; Teaching experience ranged from 1–5 years (35%) to over
2. An independent samples t-­test, to determine the ef- 16 years (15.5%). Most (80.1%) taught Cycle One (grades
fects of gender, nationality and specialty on teachers' 1–5), and the rest taught Cycle Two (grades 6–8). Almost
attitudes to teaching inclusively; half (45.9%) taught more than one subject, while 31.8%,
3. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), to measure the effects 18.8% and 3.5%, respectively, taught Arabic, maths and
of age, teaching experience, level of education and science.
place of residence on these attitudes;
4. A post hoc test, to quantify the significance of the dif-
ferences between pairwise means for ANOVA results Attitudes to inclusion
revealing significant effects.
To address the first research question, attitudes to inclu-
sion were assessed by 34 statements on a 3-­point Likert-­
Instrument type scale: 3 = strongly agree, 2 = agree and 1 = do not
agree. Thus, each total score on the attitude scale ranged
Due to the absence of a standardised attitude scale in from 34 (least positive) to 102 (most positive), meaning
Arabic native language, we developed, piloted and as- that the higher the score, the more positive the attitude.
sessed the validity and reliability of the developed scale Mean (M) and standard deviation (SD) scores revealed
to measure behavioural, emotional and cognitive com- that respondents had generally positive attitudes to in-
ponents on a three-­point Likert-­type scale of ‘strongly clusion (M = 80.60, SD = 15.60). The respective mean per-
agree’, ‘agree’ and ‘disagree’, with higher scores reflect- centages for responses of ‘disagree’, ‘agree’ and ‘strongly
ing more positive attitudes. The initial 64 items were re- agree’ were 11.3%, 44% and 44.7%. Thus, most respond-
duced to 45 on review and 39 after review by experts; ents (88.7%) agreed more or less strongly with the atti-
factor analysis then reduced this to 34 final items. In tude statements, indicating positive attitudes towards
order to measure comprehensively the three components inclusion (Table 3).
of attitudes (cognitive, behavioural and emotional) and
due to the absence of scales with such large items, we
have chosen to develop our own scale. The scale's test– Demographic characteristics
retest reliability coefficient was 0.85 when tested on 210
parents and its internal consistency on a sample of 250 For research question two, the effect of demographic
SETs yielded a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.952 (Table 1). characteristics on attitudes to inclusion was investigated.
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410 |    ALKHATIB et al.

TA BL E 2 Demographic data. Table 5 shows some differences in mean attitude

Variable Sub-­variable Percentage
scores by emirate of residence. Those in Abu Dhabi were
most positive (M = 85.61, SD = 13.30) towards inclusion,
Gender Male 22.8 followed by Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain.
Female 77.2 However, a one-­way between-­subjects ANOVA found no
Age (years) 25–35 60.2 significant effect on attitudes: F(6,243) = 2.09, p = 0.056.
36–45 31.8
46–60 8.1
Nationality Emirati 59.9
Education, teaching experience and specialty
Expatriate 40.1
For research question three, attitudes were first inves-
Grades taught Cycle 1 80.1 tigated regarding teachers' education level. Table 6 lists
Cycle 2 19.9 mean attitude scores for holders of diplomas, and bach-
Subject taught Maths 18.8 elor's and master's degrees, revealing that scores were
Science 3.5 broadly higher as education level increased. However,
Arabic 31.8 ANOVA revealed no statistically significant effect
F(2,246) = 2.53, p = 0.082.
More than one subject 45.9
Table 7 lists mean scores and SD by length of teach-
Level of education Diploma 3.5
ing experience, revealing some differences between year
Bachelor's 93.8 groups. Again, ANOVA testing found no statistically
Master's 2.8 significant differences F(3,223) = 0.644, p = 0.587, meaning
Specialty Special education 90.6 that length of teaching experience did not impact atti-
Other subjects 9.4 tude to inclusion.
Teaching experience 1–5 35.1
Attitudes towards inclusion were next investigated for
(years) specialisation, that is, special education or another sub-
6–10 24.3
ject. Table 8 shows there was little difference in the rele-
11–15 25.1
vant mean attitude scores, and the t-­test confirmed the
16 and above 15.5 absence of a statistically significant difference between
Residence Abu Dhabi 13.4 the two groups, t(246) = 0.105, p = 0.917, meaning that at-
Dubai 14.8 titudes to inclusion were not impacted by specialisation.
Sharjah 9.3 The last variable was whether teachers taught stu-
Umm Al Quwain 6.2
dents in Cycle One or Two. Those teaching Cycle One
were less positive to inclusion (M = 78.68, SD = 15.41) than
Ajman 9.3
Cycle Two (M = 88.37, SD = 13.97); the t-­test revealed the
Ras Al Khaimah 12.4
effect of cycle on attitude was statistically significant:
Fujairah 17.6 t(245) = −3.81, p = 0.000.
Eastern zone 14.5
Western zone 2.4
DI SC US SION

The males' mean score was higher than the females', at This investigation of factors influencing primary school
85.43 (SD = 13.83) and 79.16 (15.89), respectively. The t-­ teachers' attitudes to inclusion was designed to help
test revealed a corresponding statistically significant teachers in the UAE better understand these attitudes.
effect of gender on attitudes to inclusion: t(247) = 2.71, On research question one, almost nine respondents
p = 0.007. In short, male SETs expressed more positive in 10 (88.7%) agreed more or less strongly with state-
attitudes than females towards inclusion. As for age, ments, indicating overall positive attitudes towards in-
Table 4 reveals there were no clear differences between clusion. SETs were positive about inclusion, consistent
groups. While respondents in the oldest group scored with results obtained by Saloviita (2020) and Hernandez
slightly higher on positive attitude, a one-­way between-­ et al. (2016), who reported positive attitudes towards in-
subjects ANOVA found no significant effect of age, clusion by both special and general education teachers.
F(2,207) = 0.488, p = 0.615, meaning that age did not impact The current findings also align with other conclusions
attitude to inclusion. that teachers' attitudes are vital to successful inclusion
Expatriates had more positive attitudes to inclu- (Abu-­Hamour & Muhaidat, 2013; Al-­Shammari, 2006;
sion (M = 84.28, SD = 14.33) than Emiratis (M = 78.25, Rodríguez et al., 2012; Salceanu, 2020; Su et al., 2020).
SD = 16.13). The t-­test revealed a statistically signifi- The second research question concerned the ef-
cant effect of nationality on the attitude to inclusion: fect of demographic characteristics. Male SETs had
t(245) = −3.02, p = 0.003. more positive attitudes towards inclusion than females,
 14713802, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://nasenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1471-3802.12639 by University Estadual De Campina, Wiley Online Library on [24/09/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS ATTITUDES TO INCLUSION    | 411

TA BL E 3 Responses to attitude statements by percentage.

# Attitude statements Disagree Agree Strongly agree

1 Students with disabilities have the right to learn with their peers without disabilities in the 8.7 47.9 43.4
same classroom
2 I feel reassured when teaching students with and without disabilities side by side in the 16.5 52.5 31.0
same classrooms
3 I will support changing the education system to suit the needs of all students in school 3.8 36.8 59.4
4 Allocating human and material resources to teach students with and without disabilities in 11.9 36.4 51.7
the same classes is feasible for all
5 I am confident that students with and without disabilities will feel safe and secure when 17.1 48.8 34.1
taught side by side in the same classrooms
6 I will support teachers in teaching students with and without disabilities in the same 6.7 35.8 57.5
classrooms
7 Teaching students with and without disabilities in the same classroom does not preclude 31.4 50.9 17.3
curriculum coverage
8 I believe that teaching students with and without disabilities in the same classrooms will 33.8 54.4 11.8
not confuse the classroom environment
9 I will support any changes in the teaching methods to make them appropriate for teaching 4.9 46.7 48.4
students with and without disabilities in the same classroom
10 Teaching students with and without disabilities in the same classroom positively impacts 11.5 46.9 41.6
the academic achievement of students with disabilities
11 I feel that teaching students with and without disabilities in the same classrooms will be 24.5 53.8 21.3
carried out in an atmosphere of harmony
12 I will encourage and/or develop my skills to teach students with and without disabilities in 4.5 34.8 60.6
the same classrooms
13 Teaching students with and without disabilities positively impacts the social and emotional 6.7 42.6 50.7
development of students with disabilities
14 I feel psychologically comfortable about teaching students with and without disabilities in 18.7 43.5 37.8
the same classrooms
15 I will support an increase in the number of teachers in the school to ensure that students 5.0 35.9 59.1
with and without disabilities are taught in the same classrooms
16 Teaching students with and without disabilities in the same classroom makes students 9.9 48.2 41.9
without disabilities more accepting of individual differences
17 I feel that teaching students with and without disabilities in the same classrooms will not 24.1 52.1 23.8
put anyone at risk
18 I will support the modification of curricula to suit the needs of all students in the 3.5 39.6 56.9
classroom (with and without disabilities)
19 Teaching students with and without disabilities in the same classrooms improves the 5.6 42.8 51.6
positive self-­c oncept of students with disabilities
20 I have a clear conscience to give students with disabilities their natural opportunity to 6.7 37.2 56.1
learn with their peers without disabilities in the same classrooms
21 I will work with other parents and professionals to ensure that students with and without 5.6 38.1 56.3
disabilities are taught side by side in the same classrooms
22 Teaching students with and without disabilities in the same classrooms reduces the 12.7 44.0 43.3
possibility of negative attributes of students with disabilities
23 I feel happy when students with and without disabilities are taught in the same classrooms, 7.4 38.6 54.0
as this achieves a noble human value in our society
24 I will support modifications to school buildings to suit the needs of students with 3.2 37.6 59.2
disabilities in regular schools
25 Teaching students with and without disabilities in the same classrooms provides a variety 10.9 37.2 51.9
of teaching methods that benefit everyone
26 I will support any changes made to educational institutions' systems, policies and 7.0 43.7 49.3
philosophy that support teaching students with and without disabilities in the same
classrooms
27 Teaching students with and without disabilities in the same classrooms brings multiple 5.3 42.5 52.3
professional experiences that support learning for all

(Continues)
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412 |    ALKHATIB et al.

TA BL E 3 (Continued)

# Attitude statements Disagree Agree Strongly agree

28 I believe that the relationships between students with and without disabilities will be 8.7 47.0 44.3
mutually respectful when they are taught side by side in the same classrooms
29 I will support creating a safe teaching environment that ensures that all students with and 5.9 45.5 48.6
without disabilities are taught in the same classrooms
30 The content of the teaching material for students without disabilities is not negatively 30.8 50.2 19.0
affected by teaching students with disabilities in the same classrooms
31 We must all work as a team to bring about the changes needed to ensure that students with 4.2 41.9 54.0
and without disabilities are taught in the same classes
32 Teaching students with and without disabilities in the same class does not negatively affect 13.6 51.0 34.5
the emotional and social development of students without disabilities
33 I will support modifying the grading system and the pass-­and-­fail system to suit the 8.0 45.8 46.2
needs of students with disabilities to facilitate teaching them with their peers without
disabilities in the same classes
34 I will support the development of teaching policies and procedures that meet the needs of 5.5 43.6 50.9
students with disabilities when taught with their peers without disabilities in the same
classes
Mean 11.3 44.0 44.7

TA BL E 4 Attitude towards inclusion by age. TA BL E 7 Means and SD by years of teaching experience.

Age groups (years) N Mean SD Teaching experience (years) N Mean SD

25–35 128 79.49 15.38 1–5 82 80.02 15.05

36–45 65 80.95 14.16 6–10 52 77.96 16.88
46–60 17 82.88 16.76 11–15 56 79.91 16.01
+16 37 82.65 14.80

TA BL E 5 Attitudes to inclusion by residence.

TA BL E 8 Means and SD by specialty.
Residence N Mean SD
Subject N Mean SD
Dubai 32 75.22 18.22
Abu Dhabi 41 85.61 13.30 Special education 226 80.55 15.33
Sharjah 55 77.40 17.05 Other subject 22 80.18 18.89
Fujairah 48 82.58 14.51
Ras Al Khaimah 32 79.28 16.28
previous studies (Monsen et al., 2014; Priyadarshini &
Ajman 25 83.24 12.66 Thangarajathi, 2017; Sandhu, 2017; Vaz et al., 2015),
Umm Al Quwain 17 82.00 12.89 Alquraini's study (2012) found differences in cultural
and religious contexts consistent with other studies in
Saudi Arabia (Al-­Ahmadi, 2009). The gender-­segregated
TA BL E 6 Means and SD by education level. education system in Saudi Arabia may mean that few
females in the Alquraini study had received training in
Education level N Mean SD
inclusive practices, potentially influencing the overall
Diploma 9 77.89 10.34 results. Similarly, age and gender have been linked as
Bachelor's 232 80.29 15.85 integrated influences on attitudes to inclusion, indicat-
Master's 8 92.50 8.99 ing they may merely support attitudes to it. For exam-
ple, gender has been linked to cultural influences and
age to lack of teacher training (Alquraini, 2012; Monsen
contrary to earlier findings (Alzyoudi et al., 2022; et al., 2014; Vaz et al., 2015).
Mouchritsa et al., 2022; Politou, 2022; Saloviita, 2020). The analysis shows no significant difference in at-
Two other studies (Abu-­ Hamour & Muhaidat, 2013; titudes to inclusion for age, although those in the old-
Leonard & Smyth, 2020) found no significant relation- est group were slightly more positive. This contrasts
ship for gender with inclusion attitudes and only one with Saloviita (2020), who found younger teachers were
(Alquraini, 2012) found that male teachers were more slightly more positive. Some studies suggest older teach-
positive towards inclusion. Although this contradicts ers may be more accepting of inclusion because their
 14713802, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://nasenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1471-3802.12639 by University Estadual De Campina, Wiley Online Library on [24/09/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS ATTITUDES TO INCLUSION    | 413

greater experience of different educational needs induces disability type, gender or ethnicity, which might change
more confidence (Ćwirynkało et al., 2017; Priyadarshini teachers' goals and expectations for individual students.
& Thangarajathi, 2017).
A statistically significant effect of respondents' na-
tionality was found, whereby expatriate teachers were I M PL ICAT ION S A N D
more positive towards inclusion than Emiratis, due R E COM M E N DAT ION S
to lack of appropriate training and the latter's per-
ception of disability (Gaad & Khan, 2007). Alghazo To clarify whether differences are based on type/level
et al. (2003) found a similar inappropriate attitude in of education, attitudes to inclusion may be investigated
Jordan and Serbia towards inclusion was due to lack- with administrators, parents and stakeholders, such as
ing inclusive teacher training (Djordjevic et al., 2018). the MoE. Longitudinal research could be undertaken to
In Malaysia, Armstrong et al. (2011) found a less pos- examine how long-­term training affects UAE teachers'
itive attitude than in America, Sweden and France attitudes to inclusion before/after. The basis of inclusion
(Jury et al., 2021). In contrast, Alghazo and Naggar is that every student can attend school with their peers;
Gaad (2004) found a positive attitude among UAE this could be the focus of a one-­year training programme
teachers. In our study, attitudes also varied by emirate to include various disabilities and how to modify cur-
of residence, with those in Abhu Dhabi being the most ricula and physical environments for children with dis-
positive. abilities/difficulties, particularly in kindergarten and
The third research question concerned the effect high school. Qualitative interviews on instructors' atti-
of education level, teaching experience and specialty tudes are suggested as an alternative to the self-­report
on attitudes to inclusion. Teachers with master's de- measure of this study, to evidence the causes of attitudes
grees were more positive than those with diplomas to inclusion and reasons for its success, thus informing
or bachelor's degrees, in alignment with other studies teacher preparation.
(Alzyoudi et al., 2022; Hsien et al., 2009), although the Finally, this study should be replicated in diverse cul-
effect of education level was statistically insignificant. tural contexts to ascertain whether SETs are universally
Similarly, there were no statistically significant differ- more receptive to inclusion than general education teach-
ences in attitude for teaching experience, in contrast to ers. This study supports findings from the USA which
recent studies in which more experienced teachers were show the potential global influence of teacher type on
more positive to inclusion (Alkinj et al., 2022; Alzyoudi teachers' views to inclusion. More research is required
et al., 2022; Mouchritsa et al., 2022). However, our to understand why general education teachers are less
findings are consistent with some studies (Buford & amenable to direct preservice training and professional
Casey, 2012; Klassen & Tze, 2014; Meijer, 2016) which development.
found no significant relationship between teach-
ers' overall attitude and experience, although Ross-­
Hill (2009) found no significant differences in overall CONC LUSION
teacher attitudes for this variable.
The finding that teachers' attitudes towards inclusion The current study unboxes some valuable information
were not impacted by their specialty implies that the regarding SET primary teachers' attitudes to inclusion.
UAE's primary teachers with special education expertise The sampled SETs were found to be positive to inclusion.
have attitudes to inclusion like those of non-­specialists in Regarding their demographics, older male expatriates
inclusive education. It further indicates that teachers are were more positive than UAE nationals, especially in
generally confident about teaching students with disabil- Abu Dhabi. SETs with more experience and higher edu-
ities, as found in Hussain (2017) and Alahbabi (2006). cation were also positive about inclusion. These results
Finally, our study revealed that Cycle One teachers should inspire preservice training and professional de-
were less positive towards inclusion than Cycle Two, velopment initiatives for general and special education
consistent with Alahbabi (2006), while Alquraini (2012) instructors teaching inclusively, since teacher education
found no influence of grade level on teachers' attitudes. is crucial for modifying teachers' attitudes. Future inclu-
sion efforts in the UAE must successfully foster positive
attitudes.
L I M I TAT ION S
AC K NO​W L E​D GE​M E N T S
This study focused solely on SET primary teachers; thus, The author is very thankful to all the associated person-
it would have been more insightful to include data col- nel in any reference that contributed in/for the purpose
lected from regular teachers of students with disabilities. of this research.
The study was also not longitudinal and so no trends
could be examined. Finally, there was no analysis of F U N DI NG I N F OR M AT ION
individual student characteristics, such as personality, This research is not funded by any resource.
 14713802, 2024, 2, Downloaded from https://nasenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1471-3802.12639 by University Estadual De Campina, Wiley Online Library on [24/09/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
414 |    ALKHATIB et al.

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