Specijalna Edukacija i Rehabilitacija (Jan 2019)
How special education and rehabilitation students perceive self-efficacy for working in inclusive schools
Abstract
Self-efficacy is defined as one's belief in one's own capacities which determines one's feelings, way of thinking, reacting in certain contexts, and influences self-motivation. Teachers with a higher level of self-efficacy are more motivated, persistent, self-confident, they accept and apply new teaching methods, and are more open to accepting students with disabilities in their class. Self-efficacy in students studying to become teachers can affect their readiness for future work. The aim of this research was to determine how special education and rehabilitation students perceive self-efficacy with regard to skills which are important in inclusive education. We were interested in which domains special education and rehabilitation students felt well prepared, and in which they needed additional or different training for efficient work in inclusive education. The sample included 133 special education and rehabilitation students (master academic studies and the final year of undergraduate academic studies) studying at the University of Belgrade (N=45), University of Novi Sad (N=46), and University of Zagreb (N=42). The data was collected during two academic years. Two scales were used for collecting data: "Teachers' efficacy in inclusive practice", and "Self-efficacy of special educators and rehabilitators in supporting a student with visual impairment in an inclusive school". The results showed that special education and rehabilitation students, finishing their final year of undergraduate academic studies or master academic studies, perceived a high level of self-efficacy for working in inclusive education (the scores were significantly above 4.33 for both instruments on all subscales), and that there were statistically significant differences among students from three universities/ modules in perceiving self-efficacy in supporting a student with visual impairment in an inclusive school.
