Alexander Minnaert

Regular primary schoolteachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education: a review of the literature

Teachers are seen as key persons to implement inclusive education. Positive attitudes are therefore argued as playing a considerable role in implementing this educational change successfully. The aim of this study is to examine what attitudes teachers hold towards inclusive education, which variables are related to their attitudes and if these affect the social participation of pupils with special needs in regular schools. A review of 26 studies revealed that the majority of teachers hold neutral or negative attitudes towards the inclusion of pupils with special needs in regular primary education. No studies reported clear positive results. Several variables are found which relate to teachers’ attitudes, such as training, experience with inclusive education and pupils’ type of disability. No conclusion could be drawn regarding the effects of teachers’ attitudes on the social participation of pupils with special needs.

Attitudes of parents towards inclusive education: a review of the literature

The aim of this study is to review literature about parents’ attitudes towards inclusive education. Special attention is paid to parents’ attitudes and to the effect of these on the social participation of children with special needs in regular schools. A review of the literature resulted in 10 studies showing that the majority of parents hold positive attitudes. However, parents of children with special needs reported various concerns, including the availability of services in regular schools and individualised instruction. Several variables were found which relate to parents’ attitudes, such as social‐economic status, education level, experience with inclusion and type of disability. No studies examined the effects of parental attitudes on the social participation of children with special needs. The importance of positive parental attitudes is elaborated in the discussion.

Self-regulation with respect to informal learning

Abstract This chapter draws attention to the self-regulatory skills that students use in informal learning settings. Formal and informal learning settings are defined as complementary learning environments and it is pointed out that students differ with respect to the learning environments they find conducive to learning. It is suggested that the goals students set for themselves when learning in an informal learning context are different from the goals they set for themselves in a formal learning context. Furthermore, it is speculated that students attend to different clues and select different self-regulatory strategies in these complementary learning contexts, mainly because goal congruent information becomes readily available while learning.

The Additive Effect of Regulatory Activities on Top of Intelligence in Relation to Academic Performance in Higher Education.

Abstract This study investigated the additive, beneficial effect of regulatory activities on top of verbal, numerical, and diagrammatic intelligence in the prediction of academic performance. About 500 freshmen of different study domains participated in this research. The findings supported both the mixed and the independency model of the relationship between intelligence and metacognitive skills. Analyses of variance revealed significant main effects of verbal and numerical (crystallised) intelligence, and of cognitive regulatory activities on academic performance. The effect of diagrammatic (fluid) intelligence on academic performance was just short of being significant. Implications for further research and for educational practice are being discussed.

Motivation and self-regulated learning in secondary vocational education : information-processing type and gender differences

Abstract In this article, information-processing type and gender differences in the interplay between motivational aspects (i.e., interest, persistence, test anxiety, and performance anxiety) and information processing were investigated. We argue that the two common information-processing modes, surface- and deep-level processing, should not be viewed as ends of the same continuum, but rather as discrete independent dimensions. In line with our presumption, the data showed only a weak correlation between the two information-processing modes for the whole sample. Thus, four typologies were identified: surface, deep, nonacademic, and strategic. In this study, the relations between interest and persistence on the one hand and information processing on the other hand differed for each of these typologies. It appeared that interested and persistent students tend to set up activities in their habitual mode of information processing. Furthermore, a gender difference in the relation between anxiety and information processing was found. Implications are discussed.

Affective and Motivational Outcomes of Working in Collaborative Groups.

The Quality of Working in Groups Instrument (QWIGI) was used in this research to measure students’ fluctuating psychological need states as well as their situational interest online. Based on previous research with the QWIGI, it was predicted that the variance in university sophomores’ situational interest in each of the five different topics of an introductory course in education could be explained in terms of the students’ situational interest in previously studied topic‐related material (both within‐topic transfer and across‐topic transfer) and their perception of the learning conditions. An introductory course on education was taken by 95 sophomores; the course was given by five different teachers, covering five different topics. The course lasted 14 weeks and was set up according to the principles of social constructivism. Students’ situational interest as well as their satisfaction with the learning conditions in terms of competence level, autonomy granted, and social relatedness was registered on nine occasions during the course. Results indicate that high situational interest generated in the previously recorded learning episode counteracts a decline in situational interest, both within and across the topic boundary. Satisfaction with the learning conditions in terms of the three psychological need states also contributed to the variance explained, particularly satisfaction with the level of competence.

Students' Attitudes towards Peers with Disabilities : A review of the literature

The trend towards inclusive education has led to an increase of studies focusing on peer attitudes. This review study presents an overview of studies describing attitudes of students, variables relating to students’ attitudes, and the relationship between students’ attitudes and the social participation of peers with disabilities. Based on a literature search we selected 20 studies that were conducted in seven different countries. Outcomes were described in terms of negative, neutral or positive according to three attitude components (cognitive, affective and behavioural). The results show that students generally hold neutral attitudes towards peers with disabilities. Several variables were found relating to their attitudes (i.e., gender, age, experience with and knowledge about disabilities, parental influence). Moreover, the results indicate that attitudes of peers relate to the social participation of students with disabilities. Implications of the findings are discussed in terms of promoting positive attitudes of peers.

Relationship between learning environment characteristics and academic engagement.

The relationship between learning environment characteristics and academic engagement of 777 Grade 6 children located in 41 learning environments was explored. Questionnaires were used to tap learning environment perceptions of children, their academic engagement, and their ethnic-cultural background. The basis of the learning environment questionnaire was the International System for Teacher Observation and Feedback (ISTOF). Factor analysis indicated three factors: the teacher as a helpful and good instructor (having good instructional skills, clear instruction), the teacher as promoter of active learning and differentiation, and the teacher as manager and organizer of classroom activities. Multilevel analysis indicated that about 12% of the differences in engagement between children was related to the learning environment. All the mentioned learning environment characteristics mattered, but the teacher as a helpful, good instructor was most important followed by the teacher as promoter of active learning and differentiation.

Which variables relate to the attitudes of teachers, parents and peers towards students with special educational needs in regular education?

While there is an increased interest in describing attitudes of teachers, parents and peers towards students with special educational needs in regular education, there is a lack of knowledge about various variables relating to the attitudes of these three groups. The aims of this study are: (1) to examine which variables relate to the attitudes of teachers (N = 44), parents (N = 508) and peers (N = 1113) towards students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Autistic Spectrum Syndrome or a cognitive disability in regular primary education and (2) to examine whether teachers and parents’ attitudes affect the attitudes of peers. An attitude survey was used to assess attitudes and data were analysed by means of multilevel analyses. The variables found in this study relating to attitudes can be used as a foundation to develop interventions to change attitudes.

Motivational and emotional components affecting male's and female's self-regulated learning

The relationship between self-referenced feelings and cognitions and self-regulated learning has become an important area of research. But to what extent can differences in self-regulation be explained by differences in motivation and emotion? And how facilitating or debilitating is the effect of motivation and emotion on the use of regulatory study activities? In this study, 292 freshmen were assessed on self-referenced cognitions and feelings. Three months later, regulatory study activities were measured by self-report. The canonical correlation between self-referenced cognitions and feelings and regulatory activities was very substantial (.52), and even invariant of ability differences. Task value and the tendency to achieve success were positively related to self-regulation for both males and females. An impressive gender difference was noticed, however, for the tendency to avoid failure. For female students, a high level of fear of failure acted as a detrimental agent upon regulatory activities. It is concluded that attention should be paid to facilitating and debilitating mechanisms underlying the use of metacognitive activities while being engaged in a cognitive endeavour.RésuméL’étude des relations entre, d’une part, les sentiments et les cognitions référés à soi et, d’autre part, l’apprentissage auto-régulé, est devenu un important domaine de recherche. Mais dans quelle mesure les différences d’auto-régulation peuvent elles être expliquées par des différences de motivation et d’émotion? Et comment l’effet de la motivation et de l’émotion peut-il être facilitant ou génant dans la mise en oeuvre d’une régulation des activités d’étude? Dans cette recherche, 292 étudiants nouveaux ont été évalués du point de vue de leurs cognitions et sentiments référés à soi. Trois mois après, la régulations de leurs activités d’étude a été évaluée au moyen de questionnaires. Les corrélations canonoques entre les cognitions et les sentiments référés à soi, et les activités régulées se sont avérées à la fois très substantielles (.52) et indépendantes des différences de compétence. On a trouvé que la valeur des tâches et la tendance à la réussite entretenaient une corrélation positive avec l’auto régulation aussi bien chez les garçons que chez les filles. Une différence importante entre les sexes a été notée, cependant, pour la tendance à éviter l’échec. Pour les filles, un niveau élevé de crainte de l’échecagit comme un facteur préjudiciable à la régulation des activités. Les auteurs concluent qu’il faut accorder de l’attention aux mécanismes facilitateurs et non facilitateurs sous-tendant l’utilisation des activités métacognitives lors de l’engagement un effort cognitif.