The Effect of Teachers' Professional Specialization on Their Attitude towards SEN Integration in Arab Schools in Israel

Abstract

Teachers’ attitudes regarding the integration of students with special education needs (SEN) into the regular classroom play a very important role in the success of student integration. There is a paucity of knowledge about and hence a need to research the attitudes of teachers in schools in the Arab community in Israel regarding SEN integration, to better understand their knowledge and activities in this field. This research examined the skills that underlie teachers’ attitudes toward SEN integration, to identify the professional skills that teachers see as a condition for successfully integrating students with special needs into the regular classroom. The aim of this study was to determine whether teachers’ professional specialization and skill set influences their attitudes toward integrating students with special needs into their classrooms.

Keywords

• teacher attitudes
• inclusive education
• professional specialization
• arab-israeli teachers
• special education needs