The Impact of Teacher Preparation on Preservice Teachers' Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education in Qatar

• In Event: Teacher and Community Engagement to Enhance Access for All

Abstract

This study examines the change in preservice teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education following an inclusion-centered course, combined with an 18-hr practicum. Using the Multidimensional Attitudes toward Inclusive Education Scale (MATIES), 98 preservice teachers from primary and secondary teacher-training programs within the College of Education at Qatar University in Doha, Qatar, were surveyed pre and post-course. It was found that all the participants’ attitudes toward inclusive education changed significantly. No significant differences between primary and secondary preservice teachers were found at the end of the course. The results illustrated that combining information-based instruction with structured fieldwork experiences has the potential to change preservice teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education.

Author

• Elsayed Elshabrawi A. Hassanein, Qatar University