Patrick Ojok

Inclusion of Pupils with Intellectual Disabilities: a Survey of Primary School Teachers' Attitudes and Willingness in Abim District, Uganda Patrick Ojok

The survey investigated primary teachers' attitudes towards teaching pupils with intellectual disabilities in ordinary schools. An attitude scale adapted from Larivee and Cook (1979) was used to collect data. The sample included 130 teachers randomly drawn from 12 primary schools in each of the sub-counties in Abim district. Findings showed that 77.2 % of the teachers in the sample were untrained in Special Needs Education and most of them taught in generally large,overcrowded classes. Teachers' attitudes were found to be almost positive towards inclusion and they were willing to teach pupils with intellectual disabilities in ordinary schools. A Pearson's correlation coefficient showed a strong and significant positive correlation between attitudes and willingness while the independent samples t-test revealed a slightly significant relation between attitudes and training level in Special Needs Education. In light of the findings, it was concluded that there was a positive prospect for inclusive education in Abim district since teachers' attitudes were nearly positive. The study recommended training teachers in inclusive education at district level.