Abstract

In Quebec, meeting the needs of students with special needs and including these children in the general education classroom, is believed to foster their learning and social competence. Teachers have often reported that they do not always feel prepared to teach students with special needs. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teachers' attitudes toward inclusion and teachers' sense of self-efficacy and the quality of the student-teacher relationship. Thirty-four teachers from the region of Montreal, teaching students with special needs in the regular French immersion classroom, responded to four questionnaires and to two open-ended questions, and shared their views and attitudes toward inclusive education. Findings revealed that a positive attitude towards inclusion was related to positive teaching efficacy. Moreover, teachers' attitude varied across disabilities. More specifically, teachers' positive attitude was related to teaching students with academic difficulties and social maladjustments. Teachers' negative attitudes toward inclusion were related to teaching students with behaviour problems and physical disabilities. Teachers also suggested that a variety of resources such as teacher assistants, academic resources and a smaller student-teacher ratio would be beneficial toward successful inclusive practices.