A Review On How Teacher Preparation Programs For General Education Preservice Teachers Shape Their Attitudes Towards Inclusive Education

Since 1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was enacted, the United States public school system and teacher preparation programs have been trying to prepare teachers and preservice teachers to teach in inclusive classrooms. Teacher preparation programs across the country started to include an introductory course on special education as a requirement for general education degree programs. Research in the 90s has shown these semester long introductory courses improved the beliefs and attitudes preservice teachers have towards inclusion and students with disabilities; however, the same research articles that prove the increase in positive attitudes also recommend teacher preparation programs need to integrate special needs topics more into the general education courses. Through the review of eight different research articles, there will be an examination of the different approaches teacher preparation programs have used to help preservice teachers feel prepared to teach in an inclusive classroom. The articles are split amongst three different categorized themes. The first approach was the implementation of an introductory special education course. The second approach was the addition of field experience on top of the semester long introductory special education course. The last approach focused on integrating special education and inclusion topics into the general education courses.