INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF PRE- PRIMARY AND PRIMARY EDUCATION STUDENT TEACHERS

The idea of inclusive education is a new element in Slovakia. This is because Slovakia is one of the countries with a long and very strong tradition of educating pupils with SEN at special schools. It is therefore natural that teachers have different attitudes towards inclusion. Naturally, this also applies to the student teachers at the faculties of education. Teachers need to embrace the idea of inclusion within education as an idea they can identify with. It means: To feel and act more positively about handicapped children; To overcome the fear of their potential disability, and mainly To adopt the idea of equal opportunities in the education of handicapped children [1]. Higher/academic education for pre-primary and primary education teachers responds to the discussions on inclusive education and supports the need for accepting the diversity within education during the pre-graduate training. Based on several researches, it appears that study subjects focusing on inclusive education and dedicated to special education can have a positive impact on shaping pro-inclusive attitudes among student teachers ([2], [3], [4]). In the study, we present the findings of a research into the attitudes of student teachers at the Faculty of Education, at Matej Bel University in Banska Bystrica. For this purpose, we have used the SACIE-R [1] research tool that we submitted to the students. Using factor analysis of their responses, we identified the main dimensions of student attitudes. The results prove that students' perception of the idea of inclusion is not really determined by the actual curriculum. It turns out that the intensity and nature of their attitude does not depend on the duration of student's studies. These findings are also apparent from the comparison of student measurement results at the beginning and the end of their studies.