Gender differences in teachers’ knowledge and attitude towards their roles in the education of students with learning disabilities in Ibadan

Abstract

This study investigated gender differences in regular and special education teachers’ knowledge of their roles and attitude towards their roles in the education of students with learning disabilities in regular classrooms. Descriptive survey research was used and a multi-stage sampling procedure was adopted for the study. One hundred and forty-eight (148) regular and special education teachers were selected from ten secondary schools in Ibadan, Nigeria for the study. Three instruments were used to collect data. Two hypotheses were generated and tested using descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages and inferential statistics of t-test at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that there was no significant gender difference in the knowledge of the roles of regular and special education teachers in the education of students with learning disabilities. However, a significant gender difference in the attitude of teachers towards their roles in the education of students with learning disabilities. The result further showed that female regular and special education teachers obtained a more positive attitude towards their roles than male regular and special education teachers in the education of students with learning disabilities. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that teachers should endeavour to translate knowledge about instructional roles into action to promote quality education among students with learning disabilities. Male teachers should emulate the patience and care of female teachers in order to effectively teach students with learning disabilities in regular classrooms.

Keywords: Teachers’ knowledge of roles, attitude, teachers’ roles, learning disabilities, regular classrooms