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This chapter discusses Icek Ajzen’s contribution of Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to understandings of teacher attitudes and actions in relation to inclusive practices. The discussion explores why some educators are successful in including students with disabilities in regular classrooms and others are not and considers the role of educators’ attitudes in determining their actions when they teach. The chapter proceeds to discuss the role of TPB in teacher education that supports inclusive practices and also identifies some of the drawbacks of the existing research on attitudes within the field of inclusive education. The chapter highlights how TPB theory continues to have significant relevance in a range of areas related to teacher and inclusive education.

This chapter will provide an overview of the types of concerns that are evident in the research literature regarding how well teachers are prepared to teach in inclusive classrooms citing both preservice education and in-service professional development/learning. It will present an overview of the measurements that have been used to measure teachers’ perceptions of preparedness for inclusive environments and the use of surveys to assess attitudes, beliefs, and values. The chapter will conclude with a discussion regarding measuring teachers’ perceptions to inform/improve teacher preparation efforts/policies/practices and what needs to be done to improve teacher preparation for inclusive education.

A shift from a medical model to a social model of including learners with disabilities has occurred over the past 25 years (Stella, Forlin, & Lan, 2007). This shift has impacted both preservice teacher preparation and in-service teacher professional development. This chapter utilizes a conceptual framework built on the work of Forlin and colleagues (Forlin, Loreman, Sharma, & Earle, 2009; Sharma, Forlin, Loreman, & Earle, 2006; Stella et al., 2007) to guide teacher preparation and professional development. This conceptual framework provides a model for (1) addressing attitudes and perceptions; (2) increasing knowledge of disability policies, laws, and evidence-based practices for providing instruction in inclusive settings; (3) and increasing experiences with individuals with disabilities, including experiences within inclusive settings. In addition, the framework incorporates aspects of the context within which inclusion is to occur. Implications include recommendations for teacher training and professional development to improve inclusive education for learners with LID.

Teachers are generally interested in practical ideas for their classroom without being inclined to reflect on the theory behind them. Teacher aversion to theory has been a constant source of frustration for teacher educators who conduct in-service programs in the Indian context. Teachers' disinclination to think theoretically and recognize the need to change to create more equitable educational ecologies in a rapidly evolving multicultural world can easily be taken to signify an “excessive entitled attitude,” a personality deficiency. An investigation into understanding the source of what seemed to be “excessive teacher entitled attitude” led me to become self-reflexive about my own journey as a teacher. This chapter, which unravels my reflective journey as a teacher, uses narrative inquiry to make sense of my “stories of experience”. It is an intersubjective process intertwining teacher narratives with my personal narrative. Self-reflectivity facilitates the liberation from “excessive entitled attitude” by shining a light on it and paving the way for learning and the development of new attitudes toward the self, the other and the world. The findings show the complex recursive path negotiated by me in becoming aware of the way my “excessive entitled attitude” in my position of authority as a teacher blocked my connection to my students. It also shows the place of theoretical thinking in my transformation into a more thoughtful teacher agentively creating inclusive learning spaces for all students. The story of my transformation and the attendant change in my attitude toward myself and others helps others – teachers/educators/readers – retell their stories “with added possibilities.”

This chapter investigates the phenomenon of teachers' “entitled attitude” that manifested itself as resistance to change in the midst of a curricular reform in the Indian school context. For teachers long socialized into a teacher-centered culture, the change expected was nothing less than a paradigm shift in the Kuhnian sense. However, conclusions drawn from studies involving cursory surveys and teacher observation pinned the problem to teachers' “entitled attitude,” an unwillingness to exert themselves beyond the minimum level required by school policies. This view reflects a lack of acknowledgement of teachers as persons with values and the capacity to think and feel as potential agents of community practices such as schooling. My study investigates the wider sociocultural historical and political basis of teachers' putative “entitled attitude” informed by Lev Vygotsky's dialectical approach. It accesses the interrelated history of a teacher at a number of levels using the teacher's life history to create the narrative. This “genetic” analysis helps illuminate what the curricular change means to teachers inside out. The findings are used to unravel the nature of support that would help teachers realize their agency and sway them from using entitlement as a compensatory mechanism to deflect change.

This chapter discusses how assistive technology (AT) has been used in Saudi inclusive schools. It also synthesises issues and challenges that play significant roles in using AT with students with disabilities in inclusive education. These topics include Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regulation and legislation for AT, teachers' attitudes and knowledge of AT, professional development, AT specialists to support AT use in inclusive education and integrating AT in students' Individual Education Plans. Moreover, the chapter explains how the education section in the Saudi Vision 2030 focusses and discusses the enhancement of AT use among students with disabilities in the inclusive education.

This study examines attitudes of students, teachers, and administrators about HIV education in Ugandan secondary schools. Results indicated significant differences between these groups regarding perspectives about sexuality, transmission of HIV, and AIDS stigma. Behavioral assessment indicated low prevalence of high-risk activities among students, which implies a need for continued education and behavioral reinforcement in the curriculum in the intervention programs for behavioral maintenance. This study provides important insights as to how a comprehensive HIV education program can be more effectively and efficiently integrated in the school system. An ongoing discussion within the public and private sector of the country addresses the need for a comprehensive education curriculum, which includes teacher training, peer education, and strong involvement of governmental and nongovernmental organizations. Results from this study provide an important step in this process.

Research studies have documented the proliferation of partnerships between universities and school districts in the Unites States. University faculty members in the School of Education at a small regional campus located in the Midwest have partnered with one of the largest school districts in its service area to provide professional development (PD) to school staff on building Cultural Proficiency and providing Culturally Responsive Instruction. To date nearly 200 teachers, counselors, and administrators have attended PD workshops designed collaboratively with targeted school and district personnel and facilitated by university faculty. This chapter will chronicle the development of this partnership including PD topics, feedback from participants, and the future needs of the school district, pre-service and in-service teachers, and School of Education faculty.

The purpose of this chapter is to present a summary of the literature related to homework. First, information on the search procedures is provided, including the criteria for inclusion in this review. Second, a historical overview of homework in the United States is provided, including definitions and major changes in public opinion over time. The third section addresses the difficulties experienced by students with emotional disabilities in regard to homework. The fourth section reviews the homework policies presently in place at local school districts across the U.S. The fifth section discusses the effects of homework when basic classroom strategies, cooperative homework teams, self-management and goal setting, and assignment completion strategies are used. The sixth section describes the homework practices used, as reported by teachers and students. The seventh section describes the problems experienced by students with disabilities, from the perspective of teachers, parents, and students. A final section describes the kinds of problems associated with home-school communication.

Inclusive education (IE) comes to the fore when international development frameworks such as the Education for All (EFA) movement (1990), and, in particular, the Salamanca Statement (1994) are considered. The Statement portrays “mainstreaming” children with disabilities as an integral part of national education plans and asserts that establishing regular schools with inclusive orientation is the most effective means to combat discriminatory attitudes (UNESCO & Ministry of Education and Science, Spain, 1994). This wave has crested worldwide, and Bhutan and Japan are not exceptions. The overall objective of this study is to reexamine socio-cultural dimensions of “IE” by explicating voices on the ground. This chapter describes how IE has been promulgated in the two countries while forming culturally, socially, and locally fitted policies, and documents the dynamics, challenges, and complexities of IE. The results indicate that while both countries followed similar dynamics in the development of IE policies, progressing from “segregation” to “integration” before reaching “inclusion,” different implementation processes have led to divergent forms of IE, and thus the two nations exhibit heterogeneity in their interpretations of IE. Reflecting the voices of local teachers on the ground, the study illustrates the importance of encompassing societal contexts vis-à-vis exploring global issues such as IE.