Teachers’ Perceptions of Inclusive Education for Students With Special Educational Needs in General and for Blind Students in Particular

Tanja Turičnik and Cirila Peklaj

Summary:  The number of students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream educational programmes in Slovenia is slowly but steadily increasing. This study examined teachers’ perceptions of the inclusion of students with SEN in general and of blind students specifically, explored how perceptions of the inclusion of students with SEN in general are related to perceptions of the inclusion of blind students and identified potential differences among teachers working at different educational levels. The sample consisted of 263 teachers (186 female, 76 male and 1 non-binary participant): 95 primary-school teachers, 101 secondary-school teachers and 67 university teachers. The teachers completed the Scale for the Assessment of Inclusion (SAI) (Rosado-Castellano et al. 2022) and the Scale of Perceptions of Inclusive Education for the Blind. The results show that teachers endorse inclusive values in the school environment but note a lack of inclusive practices in society more broadly. They are generally positive about the inclusion of blind students, but recognise difficulties in teaching them and limited external support for their work. Perceptions of the implementation of inclusion of students with SEN were positively associated with perceptions of the inclusion of blind students. The most pronounced differences were observed between primary- and secondaryschool teachers on the one hand and university teachers on the other. These findings are relevant to all educational stakeholders, as they highlight opportunities to improve the implementation of the inclusion of students with SEN and blind students across all levels of education.