Some demographic variables and attitude of secondary school teachers towards inclusive education in the Calabar Education Zone of Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study seeks to evaluate some demographic variables and attitude of secondary school teachers in Calabar Education Zone towards inclusive education. Inclusive education is gaining grounds because there is considerable evidence, based on research, to support its benefits and teachers‘ attitude is vital to its success. Nigeria has many people living with various disabilities and they need to be educated to enable them contribute to the development of the country. A sample of 100 secondary school teachers was randomly selected from 10 mainstream secondary schools in Calabar Education Zone of Cross River State. The dimensions of the independent variable were: Teacher‘s age, educational qualification and number of students in the classroom. Accordingly, three research questions were raised and three hypotheses formulated for the study. A questionnaire captioned: Demographic Variables and Attitude of Teachers Towards Inclusive Education Questionnaire (DVATTIEQ) was designed, validated and administered. The results showed that majority of the teachers had a negative attitude towards inclusive education and their age, highest educational qualification and number of students in their classrooms did not affect their attitude towards inclusive education. It was recommended that the Government should organize workshops and enlighten the teachers on the imperative and advantages of inclusive education.

Keywords – Attitude, Secondary School Teachers, Inclusive Education, Calabar Education Zone.