Een Onderzoek naar de Ontwikkeling van de Houding van Nederlandse Leerkrachten tegenover de Wet Passend Onderwijs

Abstract

In 2014 the law ‘Passend Onderwijs’ was implemented in the Netherlands, which encourages the idea of inclusive education. All schools now have the responsibility to offer all children a place in their education system and to give them the specific curriculum that fits them best. This resulted in an increase of children with educational special needs learning alongside their peers in regular classroom settings. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the development of attitudes of primary school teachers regarding this change in the practice of teaching. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with primary school teachers (n = 16). Results indicate that teachers hold both positive and negative opinions regarding Passend Onderwijs. These opinions are related to their knowledge of inclusive teaching practices, their own experiences, the specific possibilities of their schools and classrooms and the characteristics of their students. Teachers appear to have been developing varying attitudes towards Passend Onderwijs due to differing variables. Most teachers are willing to implement the practice of inclusion, though they find this impossible within the actual policy of Passend Onderwijs. Implications and recommendations are discussed for future research and the practice of inclusive teaching.