Early Childhood Educators' Beliefs and Practices: A Cross-Cultural Study on the Inclusion of Children with Autism

Abstract

Educators' attitudes, knowledge and practices make a significant contribution to the successful inclusion of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in early childhood settings. The present mixed-methods cross-cultural study involved with the early childhood educators from four different national contexts (312 ECs from India, the United States, South Korea, and Kenya). Data were collected in three broad areas: (a) attitudes towards inclusive education, (b) perceived self-efficacy in supporting children with ASD, and (c) frequency and quality of evidence-based inclusive practices that were implemented in naturalistic classroom settings. Quantitative results showed that there were significant differences (p < .001) between the different cultures in attitudinal orientation and in practice implementation, with teachers in the USA having the highest mean self-efficacy scores (M = 4.21, SD = 0.63) and teachers in India reporting their highest commitment scores to community-centred inclusion philosophies. The four main themes that emerged from the qualitative thematic analysis were: (1) cultural conceptualisations of disability, (2) resource scarcity and systemic barriers, (3) collaborative family engagement as a central theme and (4) professional development as a transformative lever. The study recognizes subtle cultural mediators which influence both the philosophical understanding of inclusion and the way in which it is practiced in different geopolitical contexts. Consequences are addressed for pre-service and in-service training programmes for culturally responsive early childhood education, for international policy for inclusive early childhood education and for future comparative research about disability and schooling.