Pre-service Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of Inclusive Education in Jeju - Focusing on First- and Second-Year Students

The purpose of this study is to examine the overall perception of inclusive education by analyzing the attitudes and concerns of pre-service elementary school teachers towards inclusive education. The study participants were 139 first and second-year pre-service elementary school teachers from a teachers' college in Jeju region. The main contents of the survey included motives for choosing the teaching profession, discomfort towards people with disabilities, attitudes towards inclusive education, and concerns about inclusive education. Subsequently, the study analyzed whether there were differences in these survey results based on variables such as gender and grade level. It also examined correlations between variables and conducted multiple regression analysis with 'concerns about inclusive education' as the dependent variable. First, the most prominent motive for choosing the teaching profession was material motivation. Second, regarding attitudes towards inclusive education, participants showed the most passive attitude towards inclusive education for students with behavioral problems. Third, concerning inclusive education, the highest level of concern was about work overload. Lastly, the multiple regression analysis with concerns about inclusive education as the dependent variable revealed that disability-related reading experience, active motivation for choosing the teaching profession, and discomfort towards people with disabilities had significant influences. Based on the results of this study, various measures need to be developed to reduce pre-service elementary school teachers' concerns about inclusive education.