INCLUSÃO E INOVAÇÃO: AS ATITUDES DOS PROFESSORES DO ENSINO REGULAR NO QUADRO DA EDUCAÇÃO INCLUSIVA*

This work aims to understand mainstream school teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN) and the variables that influence them, as well as identify the needs indicated by the teachers to work with these students in inclusive environments. A study was conducted with a sample of 323 teachers from rural and urban areas from coast and inland Portugal, who taught primary and secondary education. The results show that, overall, teachers have positive attitudes, but revealing contradictions, particularly regarding the inclusion of all students with SEN. The demographic variables: level of education, gender and academic qualifications; and experience of teaching pupils with SEN do not influence the attitudes of teachers, whereas the service time has some influence and specific training yields better attitudes of teachers towards the inclusion of students with SEN. This attitudes are positively associated with the factors feelings of self-efficacy, perception of knowledge, support/ resources and collaboration with the special education teacher. To improve inclusion, teachers identify as needs: smaller classes, more time, human resources, materials and training.