ECCE teachers’ attitudes in Ireland towards including children with special educational needs

Significant international attention has been paid to teachers’ attitudes and the variables affecting them, as these are considered crucial for successful inclusive education. This article reports on an investigation of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) teachers’ attitudes to the inclusion of children with special educational needs (SEN) in Ireland, and whether attitudes are affected by personal or setting characteristics, including State funded interventions. Until the recent development of the Access & Inclusion Model (AIM), children with a disability had variable access to the universally funded ECCE Scheme. Teachers in a random sample of 1,725 ECCE services across Ireland were surveyed, using an established attitude scale, yielding 173 responses. Statistical analysis found teachers with special-education qualifications have more positive attitudes. Teachers perceiving their inclusive experience as successful also have more positive attitudes, as have those who think buying in assistance is feasible with AIM funding. However, teachers unsure whether AIM improves their service’s ability to include children with SEN have more negative attitudes. This study highlights the need to address the AIM in-class assistance model, teacher qualifications/training and successful inclusive experiences, to protect the positive attitudes which are critical to inclusive practice.