The Determinants of Teachers' Attitudes to Integrating the Intellectually Handicapped

S ummary . The main purpose of this study was to identify those factors which serve as the best predictors of teachers' attitudes to integrating the intellectually handicapped. The factors that were investigated were selected on the basis of a review of the relevant research literature, a consideration of psychological and sociological theories of attitude formation and interviews with teachers and educational psychologists. Teachers' attitudes to integration were assessed by a Q‐sort, the content of which was derived from a review of the integration literature and discussions with teachers. The sample consisted of 550 primary and secondary teachers, special class and special school teachers, withdrawal teachers, special education advisers and school principals in Devon and Tucson, Arizona. The identification of interaction among the independent variables was the main feature of the data analysis. The attitude of the “contact” special educator, conservatism as a dimension of personality, type of teaching, the tradition of special educational organisation in the area and the teacher's perception of her competence in selecting appropriate methods were shown to be significant factors in teachers' support for or opposition to integration.