University Teachers' Attitude Towards Inclusion, Efficacy and Intentions to Teach in Inclusive Classrooms in Higher Education
Umair Ayub, Shumaila Shahzad and Muhammad Shabbir Ali 366 Global Social Sciences Review (GSSR) as well as resources to teach the students with SEN is likely to affect the potential inclusion's implementation. Attitude is an outlook of a person for a particular entity (Gall et al. 1996) which has three important constituents i.e. cognitive, affective as well as behavioral component (Eagly Chaiken, 1993; Triandis, 1971) Among these three components, cognitive one reflects the beliefs regarding teaching children with SEN in inclusive educational set up. On the other hand, affective and behavioral components express the tutors' feelings as well as opinions about how to behave with pupils with SEN, respectively. Agbenyega (2007) studied the similar teacher attitudes and concerns and concluded that lack of skills as well as resources to teach students with SEN is likely to affect the potential inclusion implementation. A person's future looking belief on his capabilities and skills to execute behavior in a successful manner in order to achieve productive goals is named as self efficacy (Bandura, 1997) Researchers have explained the teacher's efficacy as conviction or faith that can affect students' behavior towards learning (Guskey Passaro, 1994) It has been investigated that a teachers' self efficacy towards IE plays a pivotal role in shaping his attitude and impeccably outlines professional management skills; thus, promising the pupil's success and achievement (Ahsan et al. 2012) (Moran Hoy, 2001) According to Lamorey and Wilcox (2005) teachers with low teaching efficacy sense, work with slight effort and eagerness as they consider that they lack skills as well resources to effectively treat the students with SEN and to make difference in their attitude. On the contrary, the teachers who perceive high efficacy work with appreciable keenness and put persistent efforts in their work. Teachers' intentions are another important key factor which affects inclusionary practices to teach students with SEN. Intention is a combination of aspects regarding standards and attitude; thus, leading to a person's intention to execute his sense of behavior. It is the direct factor for determining actual behavior (Ajzen Fishbein, 2005) because a person's execution of behavior is significantly based upon his intention. Therefore, performing behavior is perhaps an act on person's intention to do so. As far as legislation is concerned, some developed countries such as the USA and UK have passed the law in order to promote inclusive approaches and to encourage inclusion of pupils, with SEN, in normal schools. Consequently, such kind of legislation has also made influence on the inclusive educational system as well as policies in developing countries like Pakistan (Hameed, 2003) Hong Kong, Philippines (Sharma et al. 2008) and India (Sharma Deppeler, 2005) However, the progress towards adopting inclusive practices in Pakistan is low as compared to Western nations. As per the constitution of Pakistan, every native has the right to get education. According to article 25 A of constitution, also known as Right to Education (RTE) all children of the age of 5 to 16 years will be provided free education by the state. Hence, this article depicts effort of state to adopt inclusive approach and to fulfill the agenda of EFA conference. Regarding education policy of Pakistan, the budget allocation for special education was made for the first time in 1972. The era of 1980 1990 was significant in this aspect, because numerous special education policies were made. However, these policies were not implemented properly due to lack of funds and competent as well as skilled teachers. Furthermore, till the end of 1990s, special education in Pakistan was only provided in special schools. In 2002, the state formulated a policy to encourage inclusive schooling for SEN students; but, its implementation in schools persisted as a challenging task (Khan, 1998; Shahzadi, 2000) According to Shahzadi (2000) it is estimated that only up to 2% of children with SEN were having access to special education till the year 2000. This lack of adoption of inclusive education policies is due to insufficient teacher training programs and lack of resources (Hameed, 2003; Hammond Ingalls, 2003; Sultana, 1993) Unquestionably, inclusive education is a topic of interest for researchers but somehow Pakistan is not much active in this field. Only in a one recent study in Pakistan, pre service teachers' such an attitude and efficacy were surveyed to check if these two variables had an impact on their capability to teach disable students in including classrooms (Sharma et al. 2014) Objectives of the Study The Objectives of the Study are: 1. To measure university teachers' attitude towards inclusion. 2. To assess university teachers' self efficacy in implementing inclusive practices. 3. To evaluate university teachers' intensions to teach in inclusive classroom. 4. To explore the relationship among university teachers' attitude, self efficacy and intensions to teach in inclusive classroom. University Teachers' Attitude Towards Inclusion, Efficacy and Intentions to Teach in Inclusive Classrooms in Higher Vol. IV, No. I (Winter 2019) 367 Methodology Keeping in view the aims of the current research work, correlational research is the most suitable design which falls in positivism paradigm. According to positivists, research is quantitative in nature which helps quantify the study variables.