Eureka! Institutional Repository

In the present work we focused on the study of the socialization and inclusion of students with special educational needs in the general class. Purpose: The aim of the work was to investigate the special education teachers' knowledge of whether they are trained to help integrate students with special educational needs into the general classroom. Methodology: The method chosen to carry out this quantitative social research was the sampling survey using a questionnaire. The survey involved 107 teachers (77 women, 30 men) from public primary schools in Greece. Results: Most teachers have knowledge of Special Needs Education. There is a correlation between teacher knowledge and student integration. Those who have been taught to students with special educational needs disagree that integration has a negative impact on students' emotional development. Teachers who teach at a 77,7% primary school agree that the inclusion of pupils in the general class encourages their schooling, while 93% of the teachers who have taught to students with special educational needs consider that students should be given the ability to function within the general classroom. Seminar / postgraduate teachers agree that children with special educational needs must attend a regular school. However, it was found that neither the didactic experience nor the type of school affects their views on the school context. Those of the teachers who have attended 1-3 or more seminars over the past 5 years agree that children should attend a regular school. Finally, 53,8% of teachers who have no knowledge at all, believe that there should be separate schools. Conclusions: 37,4% of teachers had no knowledge of Special Education. It would be beneficial to run specialization and information programs for teachers as they teach the largest percentage of students with special educational needs to help them integrate into the general classroom.