Teachers’ Attitudes, Concerns, and Competences Regarding the Inclusion of Students with Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Primary Schools in Slovenia

Abstract

The article presents the attitudes, concerns, and perceived competencies of Slovenian teachers regarding the inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream primary schools. The 126 participating teachers self-assessed these topics using a questionnaire specifically designed for the study. The findings indicate that teachers are generally supportive of inclusive practices. However, their attitudes vary considerably depending on the type of SEN: teachers are generally in favour of the inclusion of students with long-term illness, physical disabilities, autistic spectrum disorders, emotional and behavioral difficulties, and specific learning difficulties, but have significant reservations about the inclusion of students with blindness and visual impairment, deafness and hearing loss, speech and language disabilities, and intellectual disabilities. These attitudes are consistent regardless of the teacher’s length of professional experience. Teachers described several concerns regarding inclusion and reported different levels of competency for teaching students with different types of SEN. Finally, the results of the study show a clear connection between teachers’ perceived higher competence and their more positive attitudes towards inclusion. The study highlights critical gaps in inclusion implementation in Slovenia and provides further suggestions for teacher training and professional development, particularly in relation to students with SEN.