Attitude of teacher trainees towards children with disabilities in the Northern Region of Ghana

Abstract

The study assessed the attitude of teacher trainees from the Evangelical Presbyterian College of Education in Bimbilla towards pupils with disabilities in basic schools in two districts in the Northern Region of Ghana. The aim was to assess the relevance of the newly introduced special education course in the colleges of education on the attitude of teacher trainees. A descriptive survey involving 150 teacher trainees from the Evangelical Presbyterian College of Education were selected from final year students through a stratified random sampling technique. A Likert scale was used to assess the attitude of teacher trainees and independent sample t-test was computed to determine gender disparity in attitudes. The findings from the study revealed that although attitude of teacher trainees in the study area towards children with disabilities seemed to be positive, they lacked deeper understanding of disability and issues affecting the inclusion of children disabilities in general schools. The general positive attitude of the teacher trainees towards pupils with disabilities suggests that the new course has the potential of developing positive attitudes among teachers. However, the content of the current course seems inadequate to sufficiently provide teachers with the knowledge and competence they need to handle children with disabilities.