Inclusion of students with autism in the Greek general school - Teachers' perceptions

Abstract

In the frame of inclusive education that prevails during the last years most students with special educational needs, including children with autism, attend general schools. The practice of inclusion, however, faces numerous obstacles. The research sample was selected with the random sampling method, using random number tables. It consisted of 100 kindergarten and primary school teachers, 50 from general and 50 from special education, who taught in Greek public schools during the 2018/2019 school year. Given the fact that teachers have a significant impact on the process of inclusive education, this research aims to examine the effect of teachers’ position (general/ special education) on their perceptions about the inclusion of students with autism in general schools. According to the data analysis, teachers’ position has an impact on some perceptions regarding the specific issue. Regarding the effect of the status (general/special education) of teachers on their perceptions of the inclusion of students with autism, the results of the research showed that there is a statistically significant relationship between them which is highly correlated with the perceptions they have about autism.