Measuring attitudes towards inclusion among university students pursuing education degrees: descriptive study (Medición de actitudes de estudiantes universitarios de magisterio hacia la inclusión: estudio descriptivo)

The formation of inclusive attitudes in university students is essential because of the direct responsibility they have in the classroom. This descriptive study seeks to examine the levels of inclusive attitudes among future teachers towards students with special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities, as well as the relationship between these attitudes and sociodemographic variables. The population studied was comprised of 323 university students pursuing education degrees (located in Valencia, Spain) who were completing their degrees in early childhood education, primary education, other courses or post-graduate programmes and the dual degree in early childhood and primary education. To collect the data, the SACIE-R (Sentiments, Attitudes, and Concerns about Inclusive Education) scale was used (adapted to the Spanish context). The SPSS program (version 22) was used to analyse the data. The results suggest that education students show medium to high levels of inclusive attitudes. Likewise, females showed a higher level of inclusive attitudes than males, and contact with people such as classmates, family members or friends implied a higher level in the attitudes factor.