ABSTRACT
Research has consistently shown the critical role of teachers’ attitudes in the successful implementation of inclusive education, but how it relates to teachers willingness to emotionally support students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) is less known. The aims of this study, therefore, were 1) to measure teachers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of students with SEN, 2) to identify emotional support teachers provide to such students and 3) to investigate the relationship between teachers’ attitudes and their emotional support. The attitudes and the emotional support of forty primary school teachers (mean age = over 50 years old) were collected by the MATIES IV and the emotional support scale. The teachers were purposively selected from schools that are identified as actively implementing an inclusive program in Depok. The findings of the study revealed that teachers were positive in their attitudes towards the inclusion of students with SEN and were providing high emotional support in the classroom. It was also found that teachers’ attitudes were related to their emotional support towards students with SEN in the classroom. These findings suggest that this study might contribute to the successful implementation of inclusive education in Indonesia.
