Self-efficacy and attitudes towards inclusive education: the moderating role of family and friendship experiences with special educational needs and disabilities

Demirdiş B., ÇİFTÇİ A.

European Journal of Special Needs Education, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/08856257.2025.2581139
  • Dergi Adı: European Journal of Special Needs Education
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, ASSIA, FRANCIS, Periodicals Index Online, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts, Educational research abstracts (ERA), EMBASE, ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Index Islamicus, Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts, Psycinfo
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: close friend, family member, Inclusive education, moderation analysis, pre-service teacher attitudes, prior experience, teacher preparation programmes, teacher self-efficacy
  • Akdeniz Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Inclusive education relies on institutional support as well as teachers’ attitudinal readiness, since they are central to fostering equitable environments for students with SEND. Although self-efficacy is widely recognised as a predictor of positive inclusive attitudes, less is known about how personal experiences with SEND may moderate this relationship. This study investigated the interplay between self-efficacy, attitudes, and prior experience among 627 pre-service teachers in Türkiye. Data were collected using validated scales of self-efficacy and attitudes towards inclusion, and moderation analyses were conducted in R to test the hypothesised relationships. Results confirmed that self-efficacy was positively associated with attitudes, whereas having a close friend with SEND showed no independent effect but strengthened the self-efficacy–attitudes link when combined with high efficacy. By contrast, having a family member with SEND was negatively associated with attitudes, yet this disadvantage was reversed for participants with strong self-efficacy, who reported the most positive attitudes overall. These findings highlight the protective and amplifying role of efficacy beliefs, showing that they both underpin attitudes directly and shape how experiences with SEND are interpreted. Implications for teacher education and policy emphasise the need to build self-efficacy systematically while providing structured opportunities for reflection on personal experiences.