EXPLORING CHILD-RELATED FACTORS OF PRESCHOOL EDUCATORS’ BELIEFS AND PERSPECTIVES ON INCLUSION

Abstract

This paper explores beliefs of preschool educators regarding the inclusion of children with developmental difficulties in public preschools in Serbia. The main objective is to examine whether child-related characteristics (i.e., the developmental domains in which children experience difficulties or delays) influence preschool staff’s evaluations of their teaching experience, competence, perceptions of available expert support, views on the benefits of inclusion for children with specific difficulties, and opposition to placing these children in regular preschool settings. The sample consisted of 201 preschool educators. A series of one-way repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted, followed by pairwise comparisons. The results indicate that children with cognitive/intellectual difficulties or delays could be in the least favorable position compared to children with difficulties and delays in six other developmental domains (speech and language development, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, sensory development and perception, emotional, and social development), with children experiencing sensory difficulties that also could face significant challenges. The implications of these findings are discussed.