Original scientific paper

Attitudes of parents of preschool children towards inclusion

Helena Ninković Budimlija ; Kindergarden Vladimir Nazor, Kastav
Maja Cepanec ; Department of Speech and Language Pathology, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb
Sanja Šimleša ; Department of Speech and Language Pathology, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb

Abstract

In line with the practice of inclusion, the number of children with developmental disabilities who are enrolled in regular kindergarten programs is increasing.  The attitudes of parents of all children involved in the inclusion process are important, both because of the significant role that parents play in inclusion itself, and because of the role of parents in shaping the views of their own children. The aims of the study were: (1) to determine how possitive are attitudes of parents of typically developing children towards inclusion of children with developmental disabilities in pre-school establishments, (2) determine if there are differences between parents' attitudes towards inclusion of children with disabilities in relation to different demographic characteristics, (3) to determine if there are any differences between the attitudes of parents of preschool children in relation to their previous experiences with children / persons with developmental disabilities. The study included 159 parents of typically developing children from three Croatian cities (Gospić, Kastav and Pazin) located in three different counties (Lika-Senj, Primorje-Goranski Kotar and Istria County). The Survey of Parents' Attitudes Towards Inclusion (SPATI) was used. The SPATI survey covers general attitudes toward inclusion, parents 'attitudes about the impact of inclusion on child's education, and parents' attitudes about the impact of inclusion on child's social relationships. Additional information about the gender and age of parents, their maximum academic achievement, size of the city they live in, the amount of income, children in their family, the presence of children with developmental disabilities, as well as previous experiences with people and children with developmental disabilities were also analyzed.

The results showed that parents of typically developing children have rather positive attitudes towards inclusion, with particularly positive attitudes towards the impact of inclusion on socialization. The most negative attitude is determined in relation to the impact of inclusion on their child's education. No significant differences were observed between parents' attitudes regarding gender, age, socioeconomic status, size of the city in which they live, and number of children in the family. But experience and contacts with children with developmental disabilities have proven to be a factor that can potentially contribute to a somewhat more negative attitude towards inclusion. Thus, it was found that parents of children who do not have a child with developmental disabilities in their kindergarten group have a significantly more positive attitude on the impact of inclusion on their children's education than parents whose children reside in a group with a child with developmental disabilities.

Keywords

inclusion, children with developmental disabilities, parents’ attitudes

Hrčak ID:

245063

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/245063

Publication date:

16.9.2020.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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