Training and Supporting Teachers to Improve Their Attitude Toward Students With Autism

• In Event: Teachers' Beliefs and Ideologies About Supporting Marginalized Learners

Abstract

There has been a worldwide increase in the prevalence of children diagnosed with autism and the inclusion rate of students with disabilities into general education classrooms. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate teachers’ attitude towards students with autism and find effective ways to improve their understanding of these students. This study examined teachers’ attitudes toward students with autism and experimentally tested the impact of a short intervention that presented the challenges these students experience through a first-person perspective. Analysis of data from 308 international teachers indicated that the intervention improved teachers’ self-efficacy on students with autism. Post-hoc analysis indicated that there is a positive association between the amount of support teachers receive and their attitude.

Authors

• Clare Baek, University of Southern California

• Stephen J. Aguilar, University of Southern California