Abstract des Autors

Background: A positive attitude towards inclusion has been considered as one of the most influential success factors for inclusive education in school. Thus, improving attitudes to inclusion in preservice teachers has gained interest in research and teacher education practice.
Purpose: In this study, we systematically reviewed intervention studies that aimed to improve preservice teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion within the university context. We aimed to investigate whether, in the reviewed studies, preservice teacher-training interventions led to a more positive attitude towards inclusion and also determine what kinds of preservice teacher-training interventions might lead to a more positive attitude change towards inclusion.
Design and methods: The review of literature sought to identify and describe intervention studies that focused on changing attitudes towards inclusion in preservice teachers. The search focused on studies that assessed preservice teachers’ attitudes quantitatively, at least twice, with a planned and structured intervention in between. Original research published in English in international peer-review journals was included.
Results: In total, 23 studies were identified. Within these, it was evident from the findings that studies of different type indicated positive change: both information-based cognitive interventions (n = 10) as well as interventions with a combination of information and practical field experience (n = 11) were reported to lead to more positive attitudes towards inclusion.
Conclusions: The research draws attention to the importance of understanding, in greater depth, the attitudes that are conducive to the implementation of inclusive education. For theoretical and methodological reasons, results must be interpreted with caution and cannot be taken to imply a causal relationship between various approaches and attitudes towards inclusion. Implications for future research are given in terms of theoretical as well as methodological considerations.