Inclusion in kindergarten? The concept of disability and inclusive education among pre-service early childhood educators

Resumo

Context: Despite extensive research on school teachers’ attitudes, the perspectives of early childhood educators have been largely overlooked. Studies suggest that positive attitudes toward inclusion and a social understanding of disability are essential for identifying barriers, promoting participation and successfully implementing inclusive practices. Despite extensive research on school teachers’ attitudes, the perspectives of early childhood educators remain underrepresented Methods: This study surveyed 126 pre-service educators from three Bavarian vocational schools using a mixed-methods design. While quantitative data examined attitudes toward inclusion and agreement to the social model of disability, qualitative insights were drawn from semi-structured interviews. Findings: Confirmatory factors analysis supported the reliability of the social understanding of disability scale, while the inclusion scale did not reach acceptable fit levels. Participants showed positive attitudes toward support and social integration, but had neutral to slightly negative views of the social model of disability. A structural equation modelling showed a good fit to the data and indicated that social contact with individuals with disabilities positively influenced the agreement to the social model of disability, though such contact was infrequent (CMIN/df = 1.38, CFI = .96, IFI = .96, TLI = .93, RMSEA = .05). This relationship was mediated by parental educational background. Interview data s

Tipo

Artigo

Área

Educação

Ano

2025

Idioma

Inglês

Licença

CC BY

DOI

10.7146/ejie.v4i1.158294

Como citar (ABNT)

ARIAS CAMPOS, Manuela; GEBHARDT, Markus; GEGENFURTNER, Andreas. Inclusion in kindergarten? The concept of disability and inclusive education among pre-service early childhood educators. European Journal of Inclusive Education, v. 4, n. 1, p. 207-222, 2025. DOI: 10.7146/ejie.v4i1.158294.