Intrinsic Motivation of Teachers and the Challenge of Mainstreaming

The study investigated attitudes of 202 elementary school teachers, from 18 schools, towards integrating exceptional children into a regular education classrooms. Although most of these teachers concurred with several commonly raised concerns, such as the negative effect of mainstreaming on students' achievement and the teachers' work load, many were also aware of positive aspects of mainstreaming, particularly the personal challenge presented by the endeavor.