Faculty Attitudes and Knowledge Regarding Inclusion and Accommodations of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Students

Authors

Keywords:

University, SEND, inclusion, attitudes, willingness, accommodations

Abstract

University students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) might have lower attendance and graduation rates and lower academic performance when faculty show negative attitudes toward their inclusion at university. Limited research examines faculty’s attitudes and willingness to provide students with disabilities reasonable accommodations for their successful inclusion in university in the UAE. The goal of this study is to investigate factors associated with faculty’s attitudes and willingness for university students with disabilities’ inclusion and accommodations. The impact of teaching experience, prior contact with students with disabilities, and severity of disability on the faculty attitudes and willingness were studied. One hundred twenty-five faculty members were recruited at a public university in Abu Dhabi to participate in a one-year quantitative study that explored their attitudes and willingness. Findings show that the faculty had positive attitudes and willingness to provide students with disabilities with accommodations under three conditions: (1) their inclusion is fair and beneficial, academically and socially; (2) learning environment, curriculum and teaching, enhance their inclusion when faculty have less teaching load and more time; and (3) more faculty training is needed for using accommodations in the classroom. Policy and practice implications concerning the students’ inclusion and reasonable accommodations are discussed.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Amel Benkohila

Special Education Teacher
Special Education Department,
United Arab Emirates University (UAEU)
United Arab Emirates

Hala Elhoweris

Associate Professor
Special Education Department,
United Arab Emirates University (UAEU)
United Arab Emirates

Efthymia Efthymiou

Assistant Professor
Special Education Department
United Arab Emirates University (UAEU)
United Arab Emirates

References

Abu-Hamour, Bashir. “Faculty Attitudes toward Students with Disabilities in a Public University in Jordan.” International Education Studies 6, no. 12 (2013). https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v6n12p74.

Ajzen, Icek. “The Theory of Planned Behavior.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes50,no.2(1991). https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-t.

Ajzen, Icek, and Martin Fishbein.“Attitudes and the Attitude Behavior Relation: Reasoned and Automatic Processes.” European Review of Social Psychology 11, no.1(2000). https://doi.org/10.1080/14792779943000116.

Alghazo, Runna. Disability attitudes of postsecondary faculty members and perspectives regarding educational accommodation. (2008) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/openview/efcdfc339112a d048eba90b776bfba2/1?pq origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

Amin Alqaryouti, Ibrahim. “Inclusion the Disabled Students in Higher Education In Oman.” International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education 1, no. 4(2010). https://doi.org/10.20533/ijcdse.2042.6364.20 0.0030.

Avramidis, Elias, and Efrosini Kalyva. “The Influence of Teaching Experience and Professional Development on Greek Teachers’ Attitudes towards Inclusion.” European Journal of Special Needs Education 22 (4) (2007). https://doi.org/10.1080/08856250701649989.

Baggett, D. “A study of faculty awareness of students with disabilities.” European Journal of Special Needs Education 22, no. 4 (1994).

Beilke, J. R.“The chilly climate for students with disabilities in higher education.”College Student Journal 33, no. 3 (1999).

Belli, Gabriella.“Nonexperimental quantitative research.” (2009) Retrieved from: https://www.k4health.org/sites/default/files/migrated_toolkit _files/0470181095-1.pdf

Bruder, Mary. Beth, and Mogro-Wilson, Cristina. “Student and faculty awareness and attitudes about students with disabilities.” Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, 6, no. 2 (2010).

Dowrick, Peter W. , Anderson, John, Heyer, Katharina, and Acosta, Joie. “Postsecondary education across the USA: Experiences of adults with disabilities.” Journal ofVocational Rehabilitation, 22, no. 1 (2005).

Efthymiou, Efthymia, and Alison Kington. “The Development of Inclusive Learning Relationships in Mainstream Settings: A Multimodal Perspective.” Cogent Education 4(1) (2017). https://doi.org/10.10 80/2331186x.2017.1304015.

Fekete, Diane. “Faculty attitudes toward students with intellectual disabilities in postsecondary educational settings.” (2013) Retrieved from: https://search proquestcom.ezproxy.uaeu.ac.ae/docview/144284606 ?accountid=62373

Fichten, Catherine S. “Students with physical disabilities in higher education: Attitudes and beliefs that affect integration.” In H. E. Yuker (Ed.), Attitudes toward persons with disabilities. (pp. 171-186). (New York, NY, US: Springer Publishing Co., 1988).

Fonosch, Gail, G., and Schwab, Lois O. “Attitudes of selected university faculty members toward disabled students.” Journal of University Student Personnel, 22, no. 3(1981).

Foss, Joanne Jackson. Attitudes and accommodation practices of university health professions faculty toward students with learning disabilities. (2002) Retrieved from:https://searchproquestcom.ezproxy.uaeu.ac.ae/do view/304806055/accountid=62373

Gaad, Eman, and Mishal Almotairi. “Inclusion of Students with Special Needs within Higher Education in UAE: Issues And Challenges.” Journal of International Education Research (JIER) 9, no. 4 (2013). https://doi.org/10.19030/jier.v9i4.8080.

Mills, Geoffrey E, and L R Gay. Educational Research : Competencies for Analysis and Applications. (NY: Pearson, 2019).

Gitlow, Lynn.“Occupational Therapy Faculty Attitudes toward the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Their Educational Programs.” The Occupational Therapy Journal of Research 21, no. 2 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1177/153944920102100206.

Hindes, Yvonne., and Mather, Jennifer. “Inclusive education at the post-secondary level: attitudes of students and professors.” Exceptionality Education Canada, 17(1)(2007): 107-128.

Konur, Ozcan. “Teaching Disabled Students in Higher Education.” Teaching in Higher Education 11(3) (2006).https://doi.org/10.1080/1356251060068081.

Leyser, Yona, and Lori Greenberger.“College Students with Disabilities in Teacher Education: Faculty Attitudes and Practices.” European Journal of Special Needs Education23(3)(2008): 455-463.

Lyne, George. E.“How to measure employee attitudes.”Training and Development Journal, 43, no. 12 (1989).

MacFarlane, Kate, and Lisa Marks Woolfson.“Teacher Attitudes and Behavior toward the Inclusion of Children with Social, Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties in Mainstream Schools: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior.” Teaching and TeacherEducation29(2013). https://doi.org/10.1016/j. tate.2012.08.006.

McWaine, DeRhonda. M. “Faculty attitude, knowledge, and comfort toward students with disabilities: A community university setting.” (2011). (Doctoral dissertation, Capella University).

Minner, Sam, and Greg Prater. “College Teachers’ Expectations of LD Students.”Academic Therapy 20, no. 2 (1984).

Morley, Louise, and Alison Croft. “Agency and Advocacy: Disabled Students in Higher Education in Ghana an Tanzania.” Research in Comparative and International Education 6, no. 4 (2011):383-399.

Praisner, Cindy L.“Attitudes of Elementary School Principals toward the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities.” Exceptional Children 69, no. 2 (2003):135-145. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290306900201.

Petty, Richard E., Pablo Briñol, and Kenneth G. DeMarree.“The Meta-Cognitive Model (MCM) of Attitudes: Implications for Attitude Measurement, Change, and Strength.” Social Cognition 25, no. 5 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1521/soco.2007.25.5.657.

Rao, Shaila M. “Students with disabilities in higher education: Faculty attitudes and willingness to provide accommodations.” (2002). Retrieved from: https://search-proquestcom.ezproxy.uaeu.ac.ae/docv iew/304798932?accountid=62373

Rao, Shaila. “Faculty attitudes and university students with disabilities in higher education: A literature review.”University Student Journal, 38, no. 2 (2004). Rao, Shaila., and Gartin, Barbara. C. “Attitudes of university faculty toward accommodations to university students with disabilities.” Journal for Vocational Special Needs Education, 25, no. 4 (2003).

THE SALAMANCA STATEMENT - Right to Education Initiative.” Accessed July 9, 2018. education.org/files/resource/attachments/Salamanca_St atement_1994.pdf.

Upton, Thomas David. “University student attitudes toward educational accommodation.” (2000). (Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database).

Van Loan, Amira.“Attitudes toward students with disabilities at Notre Dame University, Lebanon.” (2013). (Doctoral dissertation, Saint Louis University).

Vogel, Susan A., Yona Leyser, Sharon Wyland, and Andrew Brulle.“Students With Learning Disabilities in Higher Education: Faculty Attitude and Practices.” Learning Disabilities Research and Practice 14, no. 3(1999). https://doi.org/10.1207/sldrp1403_5.

Worthy, Keno L. “Faculty attitudes toward students with disabilities at a southern HBCU.” (2013). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database.

Dalun Zhang, Leena Landmark, Anne Reber, HsienYuan Hsu, Oi-man Kwok, and Michael Benz. “University Faculty Knowledge, Beliefs, and Practices in Providing Reasonable Accommodations to Students with Disabilities.” Remedial and Special Education 31 (4) (2010): 273-286.

Additional Files

Published

2020-08-01

How to Cite

Benkohila, A., Elhoweris, H., & Efthymiou, E. (2020). Faculty Attitudes and Knowledge Regarding Inclusion and Accommodations of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Students. Psycho-Educational Research Reviews, 9(2). Retrieved from https://perrjournal.com/index.php/perrjournal/article/view/135