Prospective Language Teachers’ Beliefs and Attitudes towards the Inclusion of Special Learners in Regular Classrooms

Abstract

This study investigated the various beliefs and attitudes of prospective language teachers towards inclusive education, limited only to the context of Filipino prospective language teachers, majoring in English and Filipino languages. The target population consisted of 10 prospective teachers, of whom all had at least introductory knowledge of inclusive education. The data gathered was elicited through semi-structured interviews and was analyzed through thematic analysis. From the data, results show that the prospective teachers had pro-inclusive beliefs and attitudes, where the most common emerging theme was that the prospective teachers had a great sense of duty as a teacher which made them support inclusivity as education is for all and it is a teacher's job to provide that education. This study provides insights into how currenteducators in trainingsee inclusion and may contribute to the literature on inclusive education within the country.