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Cypriot Journal of Educational
Sciences
Volume 17, Issue 8, (2022) 2605-2621
www.cjes.eu
Teachers’ perceptions on their competence and the benefits of
inclusive education
Janine Joy L. Tenerife a, Cebu Technological University-Main, College of Education, Cebu City, Cebu, 6000, Philippines
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7633-7185
Emerson D. Peteros b
*
, College of Education, Cebu Technological University-Main, Cebu City, Cebu, 6000, Philippines
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9265-704X
Irene D. Zaragoza c, Lomonon Elementary School, Head Teacher II, Palompon, Leyte, 6538, Philippines
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7190-4731
John V. de Vera d, Cebu Technological University-NEC, College of Education, City of Naga, 6037, Cebu, Philippines
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6619-3963
Lilibeth C. Pinili e, Cebu Technological University-Main, College of Education, Cebu City, Cebu, 6000, Philippines
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2603-9352
Margie D. Fulgencio f, Cebu Technological University-Main, College of Education, Cebu City, Cebu, 6000, Philippines
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9938-964X
Suggested Citation:
Tenerife, J. J. L., Peteros, E. D., Zaragoza, I. D., de Vera, J. V., Pinili, L. C., & Fulgencio, M. D. (2022). Teachers’
perceptions on their competence and the benefits of inclusive education. Cypriot Journal of Educational
Science. 17(8), 2605-2621. https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i8.7784
Received from April 16, 2022; revised from June 20, 2022; accepted from August 24, 2022.
©2022 Birlesik Dunya Yenilik Arastirma ve Yayincilik Merkezi. All rights reserved.
Abstract
This study assessed the perceived teachers’ competence and benefits of inclusion to learners. There were 63 teachers who
answered the survey questionnaires that assessed their perceived competence and benefits of inclusive education. They
were identified using cluster sampling. The data gathered were treated using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results
revealed that majority of them were in the age range of 33-42 years, had finished their master’s degree with specialisation
not related to special education and had served in their school for 8-16 years. They perceived themselves to be highly
competent and stated that inclusive education is highly beneficial for learners with and without special education needs.
Moreover, their perceived competence is significantly related to the benefits of inclusive education for learners with and
without special needs. Hence, school administrators need to validate the teachers’ perceived competence in handling
inclusive classes and create programmes geared towards an enhanced inclusive education implementation.
Keywords: benefits, inclusive education, learners, special needs, teachers’ competence
*
ADDRESS OF CORRESPONDENCE: Emerson D. Peteros, Cebu Technological University, College of Education, Main Campus,
Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines
E-mail address: emerson.peteros@ctu.edu.ph
Tenerife, J. J. L., Peteros, E. D., Zaragoza, I. D., de Vera, J. V., Pinili, L. C., & Fulgencio, M. D. (2022). Teachers’ perceptions on their
competence and the benefits of inclusive education. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science. 17(8), 2605-2621.
https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i8.7784
2606
1. Introduction
Human rights have consistently been a vital issue in the international arena and unlimited efforts have
been carried out by nongovernmental organisations and governments globally in safeguarding these
rights, regardless of the characteristics that each individual has (Marcinkutė, 2011). However, there
are still certain groups of people who experience exclusion due to their special characteristics such as
their gender, socio-economic status, culture, religious background and disabilities (Babik & Gardner,
2021; Prattley et al., 2020). Education, which is a basic human right, is made as a tool to fight against
the isolation of these people and eradicate discrimination of the weak sectors of the society. Thus,
UNESCO (2005) emphasised on equal access to high quality education to all, which respects every
individual with diverse characteristics.
The Philippines is one of those countries which observed this principle by stipulating in its constitution
this basic right of every individual which upholds the dignity of every person (Mendoza, 2018). It is the
right of every Filipino child to be afforded with an equal opportunity in education which is stated in
the 1987 Philippine Constitution. However, some children have learning difficulties that would affect
the teacher’s instruction when these learners are present inside the classroom. Due to their lack of
knowledge and limitations, children with disabilities were treated as undesirable and separated from
the regular children which is why they are enrolled in special schools (Sansour & Bernhard, 2018).
Hence, Special Education (SPED) centres were established in the Philippines to give access to learners
with disabilities on education. Over the years, isolating learners with special education needs (LSENs)
was practiced here and abroad in order to address the specific needs of learners on their difficulties by
providing an individualised education program (IEP) (Kang & Martin, 2018; Vyrastekova, 2021). LSENs
are given specialised programmes so that instructions will be delivered more effectively.
The current practices in other countries towards educating LSENs have changed in their strategies
since these children are already enrolled in regular classrooms. This practice is called inclusion where
in LSENs are joined in classrooms with regular children (Efthymiou, & Kington, 2017). Children in these
classrooms are treated equally although there are cases wherein LSENs are given assistance in
performing certain tasks. In the Philippines, inclusion or inclusive education has been advocated for
many years already, which is strengthened by the law on disabled persons. Republic Act no. 7277 also
known as the ‘Magna Carta for Disabled Persons’ states that ‘the State shall facilitate integration of
disabled persons into the mainstream of society and shall advocate for and encourage respect for
disabled persons’. Hence, the State ‘shall ensure that disabled persons are provided with access to
quality education and ample opportunities to develop their skills. It shall take appropriate steps to
make such education accessible to all disabled persons’.
The Department of Education’s (DepEd) task, as the implementing agency, is to implement this
programme in all schools. With this, a DepEd Order no. 72 series of 2009 was issued to this effect
which guarantees the right for LSENs to receive appropriate education within the regular or inclusive
classroom setting. However, school teachers who are not well-trained to handle LSENs find it
challenging on their part to teach these children. The presence of these learners in regular classrooms
will become a burden on their part because of their lack of knowledge and skills in handling these
kinds of learners (Yazcayir & Gurgur, 2021). Teachers should consider that every learner’s disability
needs a specific intervention or approach in order that instructions are easily understood by their
learners.
DepEd initiated various trainings and seminars in order to promote the teachers’ awareness towards
the concepts of inclusion and how to manage LSENs effectively. But the concern of the teachers is on
Tenerife, J. J. L., Peteros, E. D., Zaragoza, I. D., de Vera, J. V., Pinili, L. C., & Fulgencio, M. D. (2022). Teachers’ perceptions on their
competence and the benefits of inclusive education. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science. 17(8), 2605-2621.
https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i8.7784
2607
the sufficiency of the trainings provided to them. It is noteworthy that inclusive education does not
specify what special needs will be accepted and what will be not accepted (Michailakis & Wendelin,
2009). Consequently, teachers should be ready on whatever disability of the child they may encounter
inside the classroom. On the other hand, teachers must also consider that it is the right of the child to
have access to education, regardless of his status in life (Heymann et al., 2014). Teachers’ awareness
on the benefits of inclusive education on LSENs might help them develop a positive perception
towards this programme. An important aspect in the realisation of inclusive education is the teachers’
competency in working with LSENs (Efthymiou, & Kington, 2017; Pit-ten Cate et al., 2018).
In the field of inclusive education, teachers should possess new abilities to conceptualise strategies,
the ability to determine the individuals importance in implementing the activities needed during the
delivery of instruction to children with disabilities and be responsible for the outcomes of instruction
that are evident in the children (Zulfija et al., 2013). Furthermore, while working with inclusive
classrooms, the teachers should be knowledgeable on the behaviour and characteristics of LSENs to
develop appropriate strategies and improve one’s skills in creating an environment that stimulates
learning (Bukvic, 2014). This aspect of inclusive education is less investigated by researchers who may
provide relevant literature regarding teachers’ perception on their competency in handling inclusive
classes and how these inclusive classes benefits the learners of these classrooms.
1.1 Conceptual framework
Different researches were initiated to explore the issues regarding the implementation of inclusive
education in different countries to arrive at solutions that will help attain effective implementation of
the programme. Teachers’ perception about their competence and the benefits of inclusion to the
learners are significant topics to be explored. Below are the different related literature studies that
would support this study.
Inclusive education is a principle wherein all learners, regardless of their capabilities, attend and are
welcomed in neighbourhood schools and are supported to receive equal opportunities of enjoying
high quality instruction and interventions (Lindner & Schwab, 2020) that capacitate them to be
successful in achieving the standards of the core curriculum (Juvonen et al., 2019). Moreover, it is
based on the belief that every individual has the right to be educated in regular classrooms, including
LSENs, in which the children with disabilities are not isolated and placed in special schools because
their needs can be addressed in regular classroom settings (Efthymiou & Kington, 2017; Sansour &
Bernhard, 2018). In inclusive education, both learners with and without special needs learn better
than segregating students into special classrooms. Over the years, researchers have found that LSENs
have higher achievement and improved skills inclusive classrooms while learners without special
needs have also benefited from the program (Roldán et al., 2021; Walsh, 2018).
The concept of inclusion is to welcome learners’ diversity, appropriately challenged, and supported by
their efforts to achieve learning in school. However, it is also significant that the schools support the
parents, caregivers and most especially the regular teachers and SPED teachers, because they are the
key elements of inclusion (McManis, 2017). Teachers handling inclusive classrooms should be
competent enough to address the needs of all their learners. Moreover, proper time management in
dealing with these learners is also crucial for the programme to be successful.
According to de Boer et al. (2011), there is a need to support teachers in implementing the inclusive
classroom. Based on the review of the literatures, most of the teachers have either neutral or negative
attitudes about inclusive education because they feel that they lack knowledge on handling LSENs.
Teachers oftentimes question their competence in handling LSENs. However, teachers with more
Tenerife, J. J. L., Peteros, E. D., Zaragoza, I. D., de Vera, J. V., Pinili, L. C., & Fulgencio, M. D. (2022). Teachers’ perceptions on their
competence and the benefits of inclusive education. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science. 17(8), 2605-2621.
https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i8.7784
2608
experience in handling inclusive classrooms were significantly having a positive attitude (Woodcock et
al., 2022). Teachers must have enough knowledge and skills about the teaching best practices and
instructional adaptability for LSENs together with a positive attitude to create an effective inclusive
classroom (Byrd & Alexander, 2020; Savage & Erten, 2015).
Despite the issues and challenges that the implementation of inclusive education encounters, the
programme is still advocated by DepEd because of the benefits it brings to education. Henninger and
Gupta (2014) posited that children with disabilities who are enrolled in regular classrooms have
acquired positive skills in the different developmental domains. Furthermore, they found that LSENs
who mingle with other children have higher social skills and usually adapt these behaviours and skills
in the future (Maleki et al., 2019).
Moreover, some researchers had noted that there were evidences that inclusion when implemented
based on its design and in excellent classroom setting of early childhood, provides the growth of the
child’s mental ability greater than the situations wherein children are not involved in the this kind of a
setting (Strain & Bovey, 2011). Inclusive education is not only beneficial to LSENs but to also to their
non-disabled peers in which LSENs in inclusive classrooms perform better academically and socially
than those children in non-inclusive settings (Roldán et al., 2021; Vyrastekova, 2021). Inclusive
classrooms are suitable in providing with opportunities to engage LSENs in the daily routine and in
activities that stimulate and challenge academic performance of the children (Henninger & Gupta,
2014).
On the contrary, LSENs who are isolated and educated in special classrooms are not given the
opportunity to interact with different types of people, but by creating inclusive settings these children
are given the chance to interact and develop relationships with other children. However, inclusive
education allows LSENs to improve their social skills and their behaviour by acquiring appropriate
examples in regular classrooms whereby they will improve in their ability to follow directions and
initiate contact with others. In inclusive classrooms, LSENs are being provided with age-appropriate
activities and receive individualised instruction to support them in general education classroom. With
these, LSENs feel more confident in themselves because they are given important work that is
challenging to them academically compared to completing work that is easy feeling like their
accomplishments were minimal. LSENs will develop more understanding on the desired behaviours
that they are expected to act and will try to follow these behaviours to avoid the consequences if they
are taught and shown models of these behaviours (Amstad, & Müller, 2020).
1.2 Related Research
Research studies have explored on different areas concerning the implementation of inclusive
education with regards to its effects to students’ learning, teachers’ perception and their attitudes
about the programme. A few of these researches are being enumerated below.
In a study by Mngo and Mngo (2018) which focused on the opinions of regular high school teachers
who are involved in a pilot inclusive education programme in the Northwest Region of Cameroon, they
found out that most teachers still prefer SPED centres than inclusive classrooms. They found that
more experienced, highly educated and well trained teachers have positive perceptions towards
inclusion than the inexperienced and untrained teachers. The results of this study are in consonance
with the study of Wiggins (2012, as cited in Newton et al., 2014) who found that there is a significant
relationship between the perception of high school teachers and classroom setting and concluded that
there were favourable perceptions on experienced teachers than those who were not able to
experience teaching in inclusive classrooms.
Tenerife, J. J. L., Peteros, E. D., Zaragoza, I. D., de Vera, J. V., Pinili, L. C., & Fulgencio, M. D. (2022). Teachers’ perceptions on their
competence and the benefits of inclusive education. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science. 17(8), 2605-2621.
https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i8.7784
2609
Ali et al. (2006) examined the attitudes and perceived knowledge of 235 public primary and secondary
school teachers in Malaysia who were mainstream and SPED teachers. The findings showed that
teachers have positive attitudes towards inclusive education. Moreover, they agreed that this
programme increases social interactions among students, which decreases the negative stereotypes of
LSENs. They also stressed, based on their findings, that collaboration between the mainstream and
SPED teachers is very important in attaining success in the implementation of inclusion in schools.
These findings were supported by Peacock (2016), who conducted a case study on eight general
education and three SPED teachers which aimed to understand their perceptions regarding inclusion.
The participants were interviewed and observed to determine the themes. The results revealed six
themes such as teachers’ need for collaboration, shared responsibilities, common planning time,
professional development, understandings of teacher attitudes toward co-teaching, and the
components of student success.
In a study by Bukvic (2014), on the teachers’ perception of their competence for teaching LSENs who
are included in the regular schools, it was found out that 70% of the teachers who participated in the
study had no or have poor knowledge about teaching LSENs. Furthermore, these teachers have
negative attitudes towards teaching children with special needs, however, younger teachers
performed better than the older teachers. On the contrary, teachers who have positive attitudes
towards inclusive education would not accept LSENs if they have a choice. However, Sowiyah and
Perdana (2022) found that teachers have positive perception of inclusion regardless of their
demographic backgrounds. With these, they recommend that professional development for teachers
must be provided to equip them with more knowledge of inclusion.
On the other hand, Njuguna (2012) investigated the teaching methods of teachers which found that
teachers used a variety of teaching methods in helping children with learning difficulties but they
experienced difficulties helping the learners. In collaboration, it was also found out that teachers
worked together in identifying, instructing and assessing learners with learning difficulties among
other areas but needed more training to enhance their skills in collaboration. It was further concluded
that inadequate knowledge for identification of learners with difficulties and failure to use an
identification tool in class could be the possible reason why teaching and learning strategies used by
teachers could not work. This is because individual learners with learning difficulties were not
identified and the skills deficits were also not identified, hence appropriate interventions were not
carried out.
Rodriquez et al. (2017) aimed to explore the perspective of teachers in Ecuador towards LSENs
regarding the implementation of inclusive education. It also assessed the abilities and hindrances that
teachers encounter with LSENs in inclusive classrooms. Most of the teachers agree that teachers’
training and accessibility needs an all-out support from the administration and the availability of
materials that will be used to address the learners’ needs. In addition, some of the problems
encountered were the architectural barriers and lack of inclusion, which indicate that they are not
fully prepared for having LSENs. Hence, they recommend an in depth training in special education
needs to teachers who will be handling LSENs. Similarly, Paguirigan (2020) found that teachers
handling learners with special needs have no idea about inclusion and they lack skills in handling
inclusive classes. Teachers encountered many challenges such as bullying, lack of infrastructure and
limited resources. They also suggested that teachers should undergo seminars or trainings before they
are required to handle in inclusive classes.
In a qualitative case study conducted by Gachocho (2017) on 15 SPED teachers from Thika East District
of Kenya, which aimed to explore the teachers’ perception on inclusive education, it was found that
Tenerife, J. J. L., Peteros, E. D., Zaragoza, I. D., de Vera, J. V., Pinili, L. C., & Fulgencio, M. D. (2022). Teachers’ perceptions on their
competence and the benefits of inclusive education. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science. 17(8), 2605-2621.
https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i8.7784
2610
most teachers have positive perceptions towards learners in mainstream classrooms. Teachers agreed
that LSENs are able to socially interact with others and establish relationships with others, which
creates a feeling of being part of the school.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
This research assessed the perceived competence of regular public elementary school teachers in
handling classes of inclusive classrooms and its benefits at the identified schools in Leyte, Philippines.
Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions:
1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of age, highest educational attainment, field
of specialisation, and length of service?
2. What is the perception of the respondents in terms of their competence in handling
inclusive classes and the benefits of inclusive education to children without and with special needs?
3. Is there a significant relationship between the perceptions of the respondents on the
benefits of inclusive education and their perceived competence?
2. Materials and Methods
This section presents the research method, participants, data collection tools, data collection process,
and data analysis.
2.1 Research Method
The research utilised a descriptive correlational research design which aimed to determine the
relationship of the teachers’ perceived competence and benefits of inclusive education towards the
learners using the researcher-made questionnaire. Correlational research is a technique in gathering
information about a certain topic dealing with two or more variables which investigate if relationship
exists between these variables without manipulating them (Bhandari, 2021).
2.2 Participants
There were 63 teachers from the 5 identified public elementary schools in Leyte Division, Leyte,
Philippines, who participated in the study. These schools cater to LSENs who have the capacity to be
included in regular classrooms. The inclusion of these learners is determined by the professionals and
experts in the field. Identified LSENs who are enrolled in these schools are diagnosed with autism,
hearing impairment, ADHD, visual impairment, and down syndrome. These learners have mild
difficulties that made them qualified to be enrolled in inclusive classrooms. However, the performance
of these learners is constantly monitored. Teachers handling these classes are given trainings to
enhance their skills in handling these classes.
The focus of this research was on the regular teachers of the identified public elementary schools.
These teachers were chosen as the respondents because they are the most affected in the
implementation of this programme. Their perceptions towards inclusive education would have a great
impact on the success of the programme since they are the front liners in delivering the quality
education to the children. Through cluster sampling, the following schools were identified to which
the respondents are chosen to participate in the study.
2.3 Data Collection Tools
The researchers used three survey questionnaires in determining the respondents’ profile, perception
on their competence and the benefits of inclusive education towards learners. Part I contains
Tenerife, J. J. L., Peteros, E. D., Zaragoza, I. D., de Vera, J. V., Pinili, L. C., & Fulgencio, M. D. (2022). Teachers’ perceptions on their
competence and the benefits of inclusive education. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science. 17(8), 2605-2621.
https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i8.7784
2611
questions that elicit the respondents’ age, educational attainment, field of specialisation, and length
of service. Part II contains statements that describe the perceptions of the respondents as to their
teaching competency in handling inclusive classes. It has 15 indicators. The respondents were asked to
rate on their agreement on how they perceive their level of competence on a 5-point scale, namely 5 =
Strongly Agree, 4 = Agree, 3 = Undecided, 2 = Disagree, 1 = Strongly Disagree. Part III contains
statements that describe the respondents’ perception on the benefits of inclusive education towards
the learners. It has 22 indicators which were grouped into 2: 10 items for the benefits towards the
learners without special needs and 12 items for the benefits of LSENs. The respondents were asked to
rate their agreement on how they perceive the benefits of inclusive education on a 5-point scale,
namely 5 = Strongly Agree, 4 = Agree, 3 = Undecided, 2 = Disagree, 1 = Strongly Disagree.
The research instrument was developed through the literature readings of the researchers and the
concepts and ideas of inclusive education. The instrument went through a validity test by consulting
experts in the field and statistician who approved on the validity of the questionnaire. Furthermore,
the instrument also underwent pilot testing to test its reliability. Cronbach’s alpha was used to
determine the internal consistency of the items being measured to describe the construct observing
the above 0.7 threshold for all the constructs as a sufficient measure to ensure the reliability of the
instrument (Taber, 2018). A high reliability was achieved in each of the following constructs being
measured including the competency of teachers (0.900), benefits of inclusive education to children
without special needs (0.847) and benefits of inclusive education to children with special needs
(0.905).
2.4 Data Collection Process
The researchers personally administered the questionnaires to the identified participants. Informed
consent was asked to confirm the willingness of the respondents to participate in the study. A brief
orientation was conducted to the teachers as to the purpose of the study and important instructions
were given. The questionnaires were then administered to the respondents and subsequently
retrieved. Teachers were given enough time to answer the said questionnaires. Retrieval of the
questionnaires followed. To further validate the quantitative results of the study, the researchers
conducted a random informal interview on the selected respondents which focused on answering the
questions that were based on the objectives of the study.
2.5 Data Analysis
To shed light on the data obtained, the researchers used descriptive and inferential statistics. To
facilitate statistical calculations, appropriate software such as MS Excel and SPSS were used. All
statistical computations and analyses were carried out with the assistance of a statistician. Frequency
count and percentage were used to summarise the data of the respondents’ profile. Weighted Mean
and standard deviation were utilised to determine and interpret the level of perception of the
respondents towards their competence and the benefits of inclusive education. Pearson’s r was
utilised to determine the significance of the correlation between the respondents’ perceptions on the
benefits of inclusive education and their perceived competence.
3. Results
This section presents the level of the respondents’ profile, competence, benefits of inclusive
education and the test of their relationships. Table 1 presents the profile of the respondents.
Table 1. Profile of the respondents
Tenerife, J. J. L., Peteros, E. D., Zaragoza, I. D., de Vera, J. V., Pinili, L. C., & Fulgencio, M. D. (2022). Teachers’ perceptions on their
competence and the benefits of inclusive education. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science. 17(8), 2605-2621.
https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i8.7784
2612
Profile
f
%
Age ( in years)
53-62
12
19.05
43-52
12
19.05
33-42
20
31.75
23-32
19
30.5
Total
63
100.00
Educational attainment
Master’s Graduate
46
73.02
Bachelor’s Graduate
17
26.98
Total
63
100.00
Field of specialisation
Administration and Supervision
14
22.22
Early Childhood Education
6
9.52
General Education
8
12.70
Home Technology
7
11.11
Science
8
12.70
Mathematics
2
3.17
Handicraft
3
4.76
Elementary Education
2
3.17
English
1
1.59
Filipino
1
1.59
Foods
1
1.59
Hearing Impairment
1
1.59
Library Science
1
1.59
Management
1
1.59
Special Education
1
1.59
No response
4
6.35
Total
63
100.00
Length of service ( in years)
25 and above
9
14.29
17 – 24
11
17.46
8 – 16
25
39.68
Below 8
18
28.57
Total
63
100.00
It can be gleaned from Table 1 that majority of the teachers were in the age range of 33 – 42 years and
had finished their master’s degree specialising in administration and supervision. Interestingly, most of
them had already 8 – 16 years of teaching experience.
Tenerife, J. J. L., Peteros, E. D., Zaragoza, I. D., de Vera, J. V., Pinili, L. C., & Fulgencio, M. D. (2022). Teachers’ perceptions on their
competence and the benefits of inclusive education. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science. 17(8), 2605-2621.
https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i8.7784
2613
Table 2 presents the respondents’ level of competence in handling inclusive classes. From the results
in the table, the overall weighted mean of 4.26, with an overall standard deviation of 0.678, suggests
that the respondents perceived themselves as highly competent in handling inclusive classes.
Table 2. Teachers’ competence in handling inclusive classes
S/N
Indicators
WM
SD
Verbal
description
1
Modifying my teaching strategies to cater children with
special needs.
4.38
0.633
Highly
competent
2
Handling behaviour of learners with special needs in an
inclusive classroom
4.13
0.751
Competent
3
Implementing the process on how to handle a class
catering learners with special needs.
4.11
0.785
Competent
4
Using assistive technology for learners with special needs
4.05
0.728
Competent
5
Using appropriate assessment tools for learners with
special needs
4.13
0.729
Competent
6
Motivating learners with special needs to participate in
class activities
4.38
0.728
Highly
competent
7
Catering to the needs of the learners with disability
4.22
0.728
Highly
competent
8
Providing interventions of any learner with special needs
4.16
0.700
Competent
9
Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of learners with
special needs
4.33
0.696
Highly
competent
10
Providing atmosphere that is friendly to both learners with
and without special needs
4.46
0.692
Highly
competent
11
Collaborating strategies and techniques in handling
learners with special needs with my colleagues
4.08
0.576
Competent
12
Coordinating with well-trained teachers with regards to
the strategies I apply inside the classroom to address the
needs of the learners
4.40
0.583
Highly
competent
13
Establishing partnership with parents to monitor the
progress of the child
4.59
0.557
Highly
competent
14
Preparing anecdotal records of the learners with special
needs
4.41
0.586
Highly
competent
15
Pursuing advanced studies to enrich my knowledge on
handling learners with special needs
4.08
0.703
Competent
Overall weighted mean
4.26
Highly
competent
Overall standard deviation
0.678
Legend:4.21 – 5.00 Highly competent, 3.41 – 4.20 Competent, 2.61 – 3.40 Moderately competent,
1.81 – 2.60 Less competent, 1.00 – 1.80 Not competent
Tenerife, J. J. L., Peteros, E. D., Zaragoza, I. D., de Vera, J. V., Pinili, L. C., & Fulgencio, M. D. (2022). Teachers’ perceptions on their
competence and the benefits of inclusive education. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science. 17(8), 2605-2621.
https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i8.7784
2614
Table 3 presents the perception of teachers on the benefits of inclusive education to children without
special needs. The overall weighted mean of 4.43, with an overall standard deviation of 0.613,
indicates that the teachers perceived that inclusive education is highly beneficial to learners without
special needs.
Table 3. Benefits of inclusive education to learners without special needs
S/N
Indicators
WM
SD
Verbal
description
1
Establish meaningful friendships with LSENs
4.51
0.564
Highly
beneficial
2
Increase their appreciation and acceptance of individual
differences
4.52
0.564
Highly
beneficial
3
Improve their self-esteem in peer-tutoring situations
4.51
0.592
Highly
beneficial
4
Learn to value children with diverse abilities in inclusive
classrooms
4.57
0.560
Highly
beneficial
5
Be prepared for adult life in an inclusive society
4.16
0.653
Beneficial
6
Have opportunities to master activities by practicing and
teaching others
4.27
0.745
Highly
beneficial
7
Enjoy improved technologies and instructional resources
for everyone
4.38
0.682
Highly
beneficial
8
Increased their understanding and acceptance of diversity
4.37
0.630
Highly
beneficial
9
Learn to respect for other people
4.75
0.439
Highly
beneficial
10
Have the opportunity to learn additional skills such as
Braille or sign language
4.29
0.705
Highly
beneficial
Overall weighted mean
4.43
Highly
beneficial
Overall standard deviation
0.613
Legend:4.21 – 5.00 Highly beneficial, 3.41 – 4.20 Beneficial, 2.61 – 3.40 Moderately beneficial, 1.81
– 2.60 Less beneficial, 1.00 – 1.80 Not beneficial
Table 4. Benefits of inclusive education to LSENs
S/N
Indicators
WM
SD
Verbal
Description
1
Demonstrate high levels of social interaction with non-
disabled peers in inclusive setting when compared with
segregated setting.
4.13
0.582
Beneficial
2
Improve social competence and communication skills
4.30
0.496
Highly
beneficial
3
Establish friendship with peers
4.56
0.590
Highly
beneficial
4
Be assisted in the development of General Knowledge
4.22
0.580
Highly
beneficial
5
Succeed on the main motto of inclusive education i.e.
‘learn to live together’
4.33
0.622
Highly
beneficial
Tenerife, J. J. L., Peteros, E. D., Zaragoza, I. D., de Vera, J. V., Pinili, L. C., & Fulgencio, M. D. (2022). Teachers’ perceptions on their
competence and the benefits of inclusive education. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science. 17(8), 2605-2621.
https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i8.7784
2615
Table 4 presents the results on the data gathered regarding the perception of teachers on the benefits
of inclusive education to LSENs. The overall weighted mean of 4.26, with an overall standard deviation
of 0.587, indicates that the respondents perceived that the inclusive education is highly beneficial to
LSENs.
Table 5 presents the test of the significant relationship between the teachers’ competence in handling
inclusive classrooms and the benefits of education. The computed statistics (r= 0.576, p<0.1) indicates
that there is a significant moderate positive correlation between perceived teachers’ competence and
the benefits of inclusion to LSENs. On the other hand, the computed statistics (r=0.589, p< 0.01)
signifies that there is a significant moderate positive correlation between teachers’ competence and
the benefits of inclusion to learners without special needs.
4. Discussion
From the data presented, majority of the respondents had pursued further studies which imply that
they further aimed to gain more academic knowledge which will help them in their teaching
profession. Teachers who are knowledgeable and highly qualified present their lessons in very
6
Have greater access to general curriculum
4.11
0.625
Beneficial
7
Benefit on peer role models for academic, social and
behaviour skills
4.21
0.572
Highly
beneficial
8
Have increased achievement of IEP goals
4.08
0.604
Beneficial
9
Enjoy increased parental participation
4.49
0.592
Highly
beneficial
10
Have higher expectations
4.03
0.567
Beneficial
11
Improve confidence and display qualities of self-efficacy
4.27
0.627
Highly
beneficial
12
Enjoy assistance from peers on class activities
4.40
0.583
Highly
beneficial
Overall weighted mean
4.26
Highly
beneficial
Overall standard deviation
0.587
Legend:4.21 – 5.00 Highly Beneficial, 3.41 – 4.20 Beneficial, 2.61 – 3.40 Moderately Beneficial, 1.81 –
2.60 Less Beneficial, 1.00 – 1.80 Not Beneficial
Table 5. Relationship between teachers’ competence and benefits of inclusive education
Variables
r-value
Strength of
correlation
p - value
Decision
Remarks
Teachers’ competence and
benefits for LSENs
0.576**
Moderate
positive
0.000
Reject Ho
Significant
Teachers’ competence and
benefits for learners
without special needs
0.589**
Moderate
positive
0.000
Reject Ho
Significant
**Significant at p < 0.01(two-tailed)
Tenerife, J. J. L., Peteros, E. D., Zaragoza, I. D., de Vera, J. V., Pinili, L. C., & Fulgencio, M. D. (2022). Teachers’ perceptions on their
competence and the benefits of inclusive education. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science. 17(8), 2605-2621.
https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i8.7784
2616
interesting ways that provide the students better understanding and mastery of the subject matter
(Bakar, 2018). Even though there are respondents who had a shorter teaching experience, many of
them had a considerable number of teaching experiences in which the exposure to teaching will help
equip the respondents with strategies in handling diverse students. Notably, teaching experience is
one of the important factors that affect learners’ performance (Mageka & Ogochi, 2020).
On the other hand, in handling inclusive classrooms, it is important that teachers are equipped with
enough knowledge on how to deal with learners, especially those with special needs, because
teaching strategies must be modified to suit in to the needs of these learners. It can be observed that
only one of the respondents was specialising in special education. The rest of the respondents are in
the other fields that do not have any connection with special education. Yet, it cannot be discounted
that because these teachers are already exposed to the teaching profession they probably have ideas
on how to handle students with special needs. In addition, seminars and trainings were conducted in
different regions of the country before inclusion was implemented. Moreover, teachers probably
would have developed the skills in handling LSENs through their teaching experience. However, from a
theoretical perspective, it is very important that teachers should be teaching classes in accordance
with their field of specialisation in order to deliver lessons in a more effective manner (Papadima-
Sophocleous et al., 2019).
Competency of teachers is the skills to handle effectively the interaction inside the classroom which is
proper to the activities and considers the different learning needs of the learners. Similarly,
competence is a composition of different knowledge, skills and attitudes which leads to effective
human action in a specific area for a person (Martin et al., 2019). These skills are acquired by teachers
when they encounter concrete experiences in dealing with learners with a lot of diversity. Teachers
with more experience in handling inclusive classrooms have significantly higher positive attitudes
towards inclusion (Savage & Erten, 2015). Evidence shows that to be effective, teachers should have
sufficient knowledge about the best practices in teaching and of adapted instruction for LSENs,
wherein positive attitude is most significant in creating an effective inclusive classroom. Additionally,
in inclusive education, there are three groups of teachers, such as the keen, but anxious, beginners
who are identified mostly as pre-service teachers with positive attitudes but are worried about their
efficacy in inclusion; positive doers who are identified mostly as experienced teachers who struggle
with the challenges met in inclusion; however, they maintain their positive attitudes; and resisters
who are identified as the experienced teachers are resistant to inclusion (Massé et al., 2022).
Teachers believe that inclusion can develop the learners without special needs’ social skills and
awareness on the diversity of individuals. Learners in these classes could develop acceptance and
respect to individuals with disabilities while learning to deal with them. Inclusive education is not only
beneficial to LSENs but also to their non-disabled peers in which LSENs in inclusive classrooms perform
better academically and socially than those children in non-inclusive settings (Roldán et al., 2021). The
manner of interaction of the individuals surrounding the child affects the growth development of the
child. Similarly, how the child reacts to people in his surroundings will be influenced by how they treat
the child. Social interactions, that nurture and support relationships of the child with the environment,
can contribute to the child’s positive development (Tenerife et al., 2022). Hence, learners without
special needs may also learn from their interactions with LSENs.
Similarly, inclusive education benefits the LSENs because they are already given the chance to learn in
a more realistic classroom since they will have the chance to engage with their peers who are regular
learners instead of considering them as burdens in the society. In this sense, they are given
opportunities similar to what regular children have enjoyed which can enhance their feelings of being
Tenerife, J. J. L., Peteros, E. D., Zaragoza, I. D., de Vera, J. V., Pinili, L. C., & Fulgencio, M. D. (2022). Teachers’ perceptions on their
competence and the benefits of inclusive education. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science. 17(8), 2605-2621.
https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i8.7784
2617
treated fairly in the society and be assisted with their difficulties (Tenerife et al., 2021). Teachers
believe that LSENs should be given adequate access to quality education in order to provide them with
opportunities to develop their skills and potentials. The perceptions of teachers is consistent with the
findings of Henninger and Gupta (2014), who posited that LSENs who are included in high- quality
classrooms with their typically developing peers stand to reap positive gains across developmental
domains. When LSENs are included in regular classrooms, there will be greater chances that they will
be socially accepted by their peers because the more regular the children are in contact with their
peers with disabilities the more the chances that they will develop tolerance and have a greater
acceptance of other's differences (Knight et al., 2022).
The test on the relationship of teachers’ perceived competency and benefits of inclusion to the
learners yields a high significant correlation among the variables. These findings suggest that teachers’
perceived competence is a factor in achieving benefits to inclusive education to the learners. This
study supports that of Sharma et al. (2021) which states that the higher the teachers’ feelings of
competence yield the higher the perception on the benefits of inclusive education to the learners.
Furthermore, the results are also in consonance with that of Efthymiou and Kington (2017) which
concludes that the behavior and pedagogical practices of classroom teachers have great influence on
the educational and social outcomes of the learners in inclusive classrooms. Notably, Majoko (2019)
found that training teachers on the required teaching competencies could help in the effective
implementation of inclusive education by equipping them with knowledge and skills addressing the
learners’ diversity.
Lastly, the teachers feel that they have the capability of handling inclusive classrooms even though
they are not trained in the field of special education. However, the kind of training to which the
teacher is exposed to determine the quality of the teacher’s perceptions on the implementation of the
curriculum and that the teacher’s performance is dependent on the kind of education he/she had
(Onyilo & Shamo, 2017). Teachers who are highly educated and have acquired trainings, knowledge
and experience on teaching students with disabilities were more supportive of the programme while
the neophyte, less experienced teachers with no trainings in special education were less enthusiastic
regarding the benefits of inclusion, management ability and teaching LSENs (Mngo & Mngo, 2018).
5. Conclusion and Recommendations
This study focused on the assessment of the teachers’ perceptions on their competence and benefits
of inclusive education to learners. With the given findings, it can be concluded that teachers are very
confident that they can handle inclusive classes even though they are not specialised in special
education. Some of these teachers had been in the field for a long period of time so they had
encountered cases of LSENs who were enrolled in their class. They treated these experiences as
learning experiences in handling such children. Their positive attitude towards the benefits of inclusive
education was consistent to their beliefs that they can handle inclusive classes. Moreover, they are
aware of the benefits that inclusion brings to learners. However, these perceptions of their
competence must be assessed by experts to check whether they employed proper strategies in
handling inclusive classes so that when inappropriate intervention are observed they can be corrected.
It should not be disregarded that these teachers are not specialised in special education so their
knowledge on handling LSENs must be reinforced by trainings and seminars. School administrators are
encouraged to conduct regular classroom monitoring, expose teachers to the new trends of inclusive
Tenerife, J. J. L., Peteros, E. D., Zaragoza, I. D., de Vera, J. V., Pinili, L. C., & Fulgencio, M. D. (2022). Teachers’ perceptions on their
competence and the benefits of inclusive education. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science. 17(8), 2605-2621.
https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i8.7784
2618
education practices and evaluation on the implementation of the programme to determine areas that
need to be improved for an enhanced inclusive education implementation.
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