The purpose of this study was to investigate the general teachers' perception characters of the middle school on the integrated education and to investigate which variables are the most influential ones for offering the best explanations for their per...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the general teachers' perception characters of the middle school on the integrated education and to investigate which variables are the most influential ones for offering the best explanations for their perceptions.
For this purpose, 313 general teachers of 15 public middle school were selected from 75 public middle schools in Gwangju.
The result of this study was as follows:
First, The general teachers' perceptions were affirmative and positive on the integrated education. And the perception about the obstructive factors on integrated education was the highest among the four sub-categories. Next they were less positive in the preferring and effective perception on integrated education, the problem and barriers on the integrated education in this order.
Also the general teachers' preferring and effective perception on integrated education was generally affirmative, and they thought it was helpful to learn social and emotional skill of disabled students, especially to develop social independence.
And the general teachers' problem and barriers perception on integrated education was neutral and they thought it was difficult to develop the learning skill through integrated education for disabled students.
The perception about the professionalism of teachers was positive to teach with an assistant teacher for disabled students on integrated education and had a attitude to cooperate with them.
The obstructive factors which middle school teachers recognized on integrated education were 'too many students in the class', 'the lack of preparation for special education', 'too many classes a week and much work'.
Second, as to teacher variables, the most influential factor related to teachers' background on the whole integrated education except the general teachers' preferring and effective perception was having a class for physically handicapped and mentally retarded children, but there were no significant differences according to teaching experience, having training and workshop experience for disabled students, major of special education. From this result, there was no refusal feeling when executing the integrated education appears with most affirmative effect, because the special class gives us many opportunities to contact with the disabled students.
Also the influential factor on the general teachers' preferring and effective perception was the gender. And the most influential factor on the general teachers' problem and barriers perception was having a class for physically handicapped and mentally retarded children. The influential factor on the perception about the professionalism of teachers was having training and workshop experience for disabled students, a class for physically handicapped and mentally retarded children. The most influential factor on the perception about the obstructive factors was also having a special class in their school.
Based on the result, suggestions for successful integrated education of middle school are as follows.
First, the opportunity for having training and workshop which intend to increase teachers' understanding and speciality on special education. must be enlarged to the general teachers and general teachers must be provided the structured program to contact disabled students directly so that they can eliminate the fear of the guidance over disabled students.
Second, for an effective integrated education, the positive and specific programs to elevate the teachers' perception on integrated education and futher study about non disabled students, parents of students, the governmental and financial support must be carried in the future.