Contributions of inclusive education programme, teachers attitudes and efficacy on social skills among students with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Implementation of Inclusive Education (IE) Programme in Malaysia which is parallel to the international commitment to allow students with Special Needs (SN) to learn in the mainstream classroom environment was evident as the way forward in special education in Malaysia. Since the implementation in year 1997, studies on social skills among students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is limited. This quantitative study employed the survey method to examine the contributions of IE Programme, teachers’ attitudes and efficacy on social skills among students with ASD. Alongside this study, relationships among these four variables were explored. Respondents (n=267) comprised of 217 mainstream and 50 special education teachers from 21 public primary schools with IE Programme for students with ASD in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. Questionnaires on social skills among students with ASD, IE Programme implementation, teachers’ attitudes and efficacy were distributed to the respondents to elicit their opinions. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was conducted to examine the relationships among the four variables. Optimal structural paths on social skills among students with ASD in IE Programme classrooms has been identified (R2=0.195; GoF=0.36). The findings demonstrated significant relationships among all the predicted variables (ß=0.20; t=1.96). IE Programme implementation was proven as the proximal cause of social skills among students with ASD. Teachers’ attitudes played the role as the partial mediator which mediated the relationship between IE Programme implementation and social skills among students with ASD. Teachers’ efficacy was found to be mediating the relationship indirectly. In short, social skills among students with ASD in IE Programme classrooms was found to depend on the IE Programme implementation and the relationship was influenced by teachers’ attitudes and efficacy. To ensure the feasibility of IE Programme, pivotal attention should be drawn in the professional development among teachers who are at the frontline.