ATTITUDES OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING STUDENTS TOWARDS INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Abstract

The study contributes to addressing the attitudes of vocational training students towards social diversity in the context of inclusive education. A descriptive, non-experimental and transversal research was carried out. The sample was made up of 1,070 students from vocational education training cycles in Spain. The data collection technique that was applied consisted of a validated questionnaire that measures attitudes towards inclusive education. The results showed a positive disposition towards inclusive education on the part of the students. Furthermore, it was observed that positive attitudes towards inclusion are consistent in different educational contexts. Likewise, the analysis of comparison of means of the dichotomous variables showed that women and students from rural areas obtained higher scores than men and the urban population. On the other hand, it was noted that students in higher-level training cycles obtained higher scores than those in intermediate-level training. However, significant differences were identified according to gender, geographical area and type of educational center, suggesting that these factors influence students' attitudes towards inclusion. Certain limitations were also identified related to the need to address these concerns to ensure that positive attitudes are translated into specific actions in the classroom.  Finally, the relevance of continuing research is highlighted in order to understand the influence that perceptions of inclusion have on learning processes.