Determination of the influence of six variables on the attitudes of regular classroom teachers in Muncie, Indiana concerning the integration of mentally retarded students into their classrooms

Abstract

This study has explored the influence of six variables on the attitudes of regular classroom teachers concerning the integration of mentally retarded students into their classrooms. The variables investigated were:1. Years of teaching experience2. Grade level taught 3. Subject area taught4. Special education background5. Teaching experience with mentally retarded students 6. Current exposure to special education programsAn attitude survey, constructed by local university professors, was distributed to 366 regular classroom teachers in Muncie, Indiana. An analysis of Chi-square values indicated that subject area taught was the most influential variable, while years of teaching experience was the variable of least influence upon acceptance attitudes of regular classroom teachers.