Antecedent Factors of Pre-service Teachers’ Attitudes towards Children with Disabilities in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The push towards inclusive education has gathered momentum all over the world. As a result, many governments have enacted laws and policies directed towards promoting inclusion. This move has seen many students with disabilities who were traditionally educated in segregated schools being moved into general education classrooms. In Zimbabwe, the extent to which inclusive education has been successful is difficult to ascertain because there is insufficient research to that effect. However, one of the factors that have been identified to influence the successful implementation of inclusion around the world is teacher attitudes towards disability. The focus of the present study was to examine pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards students with disabilities in Zimbabwe and the antecedent factors that influence those attitudes. Participants were 53 pre-service teachers attending a university in Zimbabwe. Results indicated that most of the pre-service teachers (95%) had positive attitudes towards students with disabilities. Such positive attitudes were mostly influenced by education about disability and/or having close contact with someone who had a disability.