Perceptions of Saudi Arabian school teachers in private general education schools toward the inclusion of students with disabilities

Background: Teachers’ attitudes and perceptions are of significance to the inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom with their typical peers. Aims: This study quantitatively investigated the perceptions of private elementary school teachers regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom. Methods and procedure: The study sample comprised 213 teachers working in private elementary schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia that offer inclusive special education programming alongside a general education curriculum. The Opinions Relative to the Integration of Students with Disabilities (ORI) survey, was utilized to adapt the survey instrument for this study. Results and outcomes: We concluded that private school teachers have a slightly negative attitude toward the inclusion of students with disabilities. Although the results did not reveal a relationship between teachers’ attitudes and their age or education level, a relationship was found between their perceptions toward inclusion of students with disabilities and the type of disability, the individual teacher's gender, the role of the teacher (general vs. special education), and the individual's training in inclusive education. Conclusions and implications: The implications of the results to Saudi and beyond and suggestions for further research including outside of the urban context are discussed.