Predictors of the Attitudes of Preservice Teachers Toward Teaching Students With Down Syndrome in Regular Schools in Ghana

Down syndrome: Knowledge and attitudes among future healthcare providers

Objectives

Knowledge and attitudes regarding Down syndrome (DS) are important determinants of care, support and inclusion for people with DS. The study was aimed at evaluating the knowledge and attitudes of medical and health sciences students, as future healthcare providers, regarding people with DS.

Methods

The study used a cross sectional survey design and was performed at a medical and health sciences university in the United Arab Emirates. A study-specific, field-tested and validated questionnaire was used to record the responses of the students.

Results

Overall, 74.0% of the study respondents reported positive knowledge regarding DS, with a median knowledge score of 14.0 (IQR 11.0-17.0). Likewise, 67.2% of the study respondents had positive attitudes toward people with DS, with a median attitude score of 7.5 (IQR 4.0-9.0). Age >25 years (aOR: 4.39, 95% CI: 1.88-21.93), female gender (aOR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.16-3.07), enrollment in nursing college (aOR: 3.53, 95% CI: 1.84-6.77), senior year of study (aOR: 9.10, 95% CI: 1.94-42.65) and single relationship status (aOR: 9.16, 95% CI: 4.19-20.01) were independent predictors of knowledge level. Moreover, independent predictors of attitudes included age >25 years (aOR: 10.60, 95% CI: 1.78-62.96), senior year of study (aOR: 11.57, 95% CI: 3.20-41.83) and single relationship status (aOR: 7.23, 95% CI: 3.46-15.11).

Conclusion

Age, gender, college, year of study and marital status were significant predictors of the knowledge and attitudes of medical and health sciences students regarding people with DS. We report positive knowledge and attitudes regarding people with DS among our sample of future health care providers. Further research is warranted to investigate knowledge and attitudes over time and actual implementation in practice.

Physical education teachers' attitudes toward inclusion of students with disabilities in Saudi Arabia

The attitudes of physical education (PE) teachers toward inclusion are critical to the successful provision of inclusive teaching for students with disabilities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of Saudi Arabian PE teachers toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in PE classes and the effect of sociodemographic variables (e.g., gender and length of teaching experience) on their attitudes toward inclusion. A total of 1,314 PE teachers (M _age = 41.09, SD = 9.40, females = 42.8%) completed the Arabic version of the Sentiments, Attitudes, and Concerns about Inclusive Education-Revised Scale (SACIE-R). Analyses found that, in general, PE teachers had moderately positive attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in PE lessons. A significant difference was found between the two genders in their attitudes toward inclusion. Specifically, female PE teachers demonstrated more positive attitudes toward inclusion than males. Multiple linear regression analysis, meanwhile, showed that the length of teaching experience and the experience of teaching a student with a disability were significant predictors of participants' attitudes toward inclusion. Our findings highlighted the importance of reconsidering the quality of PE teachers' experiences and interactions with students with disabilities as a means to improving their attitudes, which in turn would translate into successful inclusion.