Beliefs of Male Elementary School Special Education and General Education Teachers Regarding Full Inclusion for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The current educational settings for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in Saudi Arabia consist of special institutions for students with intellectual disabilities and special classrooms within public schools. The Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia is interested in full inclusion for students with ASD because of the social, psychological, and educational benefits it can provide them. One crucial factor for achieving full inclusion is considering elementary teachers’ perceptions and beliefs toward full inclusion, as they are one of the primary stakeholders in this venture. Therefore, elementary general education and special education teachers’ beliefs regarding full inclusion for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Saudi Arabia were examined through this study. The participants of the study consisted of four general education teachers and four special education teachers. The study used a qualitative interview design to gather data. Each participant was interviewed three times. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data which resulted in four themes: (a) lack of knowledge (b) low self-efficacy (c) inadequate preparation for implementing inclusion and (d) cultural influences. Participants who had prior experience with people with disabilities reported positive beliefs and high self-efficacy regarding inclusion for students with ASD in general education classrooms while those with no experience had the opposite. The findings also indicate that there are more similarities than differences among Saudi male general and special education teachers regarding their perceptions of ASD inclusion. Both groups cited a lack of information, unclear policies related to inclusion, and limited professional development as barriers to full inclusion with general education teachers noting a lack of knowledge about ASD and its impact on student performance as further impediments.