Numerous studies have shown teachers as key players in the successful implementation of inclusive education (Miesera & Gebhardt, 2018; Lee, Yeung, Tracey & Barker, 2015), and their attitudes towards inclusion are predictors of the success of inclusion efforts and teaching strategies for both students with and without special educational needs (SEN) (Ruberg & Porsch, 2017). Attitudes are defined as “a psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favour or disfavour” (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993, p. 1). They arise through individual biographical development and milieu-specific experiences (Nentwig-Gesemann, Fröhlich-Gildhoff, & Pietsch, 2011). Teachers’ professional attitudes are oriented towards social discourses, whereby specific patterns of interpretation, expectations and role perceptions become part of it (Feyzioğlu, 2012). They are usually seen as relatively stable constructs containing cognitive, affective and behavioural elements (Bizer, Barden, & Petty, 2006).
Preschool teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion are rarely researched, although they play an important role in the successful implementation of inclusion (Lee, Yeung, Tracey & Barker, 2015). Previous studies predominantly focused on attitudes of teachers on the primary and secondary school levels, and very little is known about preschool teachers’ attitudes and the influencing factors (Lee, Yeung, Tracey & Barker, 2015). Similar to many countries in the international context, empirical studies on inclusive early childhood education and attitudes of preschool teachers towards inclusion are also scarce in China and Germany (Tan, 2020; Wiedebusch & Albers, 2016). A number of researchers have made attempts to understand what factors may influence preschool teachers ’attitudes. Attitudes towards inclusion are often not based on ideological arguments, but rather on practical concerns about how inclusive education can be implemented (Malinen, Savolainen & Xu, 2012). From the limited previous studies, it is found that various professional, institution-related and child-related influencing factors are relevant when considering preschool teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education (e.g., Brunner, 2018). The current study will explore Chinese and German preschool teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion from the cognitive, affective and behavioural elements, and explore the potential factors that influence their attitudes.
This study analysis will apply the cultural-historical framework as suggested by Artiles and Dyson (2005). A comparative analysis that takes cultural-historical factors into account will enable the researchers to develop an understanding of variations and identify patterns in the ways in which inclusive education, such as teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education around the globe, is shaped by societal, political, economic and cultural forces (Artiles & Dyson, 2005). Research focusing on teachers’ attitudes by comparing two different countries may shed lights on the role of factors that are context specific, which may generate valuable implications both for inclusive teacher training as well as policy making (Miesera & Gebhardt, 2018; Sharma, Forlin, Loreman, & Earle, 2006). Nevertheless, there have been no studies comparing Chinese and German teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion, let alone preschool teachers’ attitudes. Thus, our study would serve as one of the first endeavours to explore in this direction. This paper thus focuses on the following research questions:
1. What attitudes towards inclusive education do preschool teachers have in China and Germany?
2. Are there any differences between Chinese and German preschool teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education?
3. Are there correlations between Chinese and German preschool teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion and their age, number of professional training, the years of work at the preschool?