86; Marchesi, Echelta, Martin, Bavio & Galam, 1991; Ritter, 1993; Wood, 1992).
Webb (1994) reported, ôBy the fall of 1993, almost every state was implementing inclusion at some levelö (p.2). These efforts provided new evidence that beliefs, knowledge, and values directly affect how or whether federal, state, and local policies are being implemented. For example, in a study of implementation of the least restrictive environment (LRE) policy in six states, Hasazi, Johnston, Liggert, and Schattman (1994) found that teacher commitment was critical to implementation cycle (Mc Laughlin, 1991).
This study will examine beliefs, attitudes, and practices of regular educators toward the inclusion of preschool students with disabilities in their classrooms.
Preschool education is described as educational experience for children prior to entrance into the primary grades of elementary school. It usually refers to boys and girls from ageÆs three to six, contingent upon the admission requirements of schools in the area.
Past studies indicate that children who have been enrolled in preschool centers develop positive self-concepts and basic understandings and skills that make them able to better apply intellectual tasks when they enter primary grades. Preschool education can be divided into several areas: day-care, nursery school, or kindergartens in elementary schools.
John Amos Comenius was one of the many who started the existence of early childhood education as far back as the seventeenth century. Comenius studied the growth phases of early childhood as it applied to education. Friedrich Oberlin felt there was a need for quality preschool services to be available to poor parents. Around 1767, France and Germany made preschool education a part of their educational system.
Children being educated in public schools can be dated back to the early 19th century. Spodeck (1983), since existence, the goals of early childhood e...