The purpose of this study was to examine secondary school teachers’ attitudes regarding the inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, students with ASD can attend regular education classrooms, especially in elementary and middle schools. In addition, the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia is interested in the inclusion of students with ASD in secondary schools. Since the attitudes of secondary school teachers toward inclusion of students with ASD have not been examined, it was important to look at the attitudes of these teachers towards the inclusion of students with ASD so that it is implemented successfully. Over 2000 secondary school teachers completed an online survey. Data were collected using a convenience sample and analyzed using SPSS. The results of the study indicated that secondary school teachers in Riyadh had positive attitudes toward inclusion of students with ASD. Furthermore, most teachers participating in this study indicated that the placement of students with ASD should be determined based on the severity of ASD symptoms. In addition, secondary school teachers’ attitudes differed based on the following variables: years of teaching experience, gender, level of education, and type of school. This study suggested that secondary school teachers should be provided with effective training and professional development so that they can include students with ASD. The use of the convenience sample and the online survey could limit the generalizability of the results. Future research should examine teachers pre-service and their knowledge about ASD.
","abstract_html":"<p>The purpose of this study was to examine secondary school teachers’ attitudes regarding the inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, students with ASD can attend regular education classrooms, especially in elementary and middle schools. In addition, the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia is interested in the inclusion of students with ASD in secondary schools. Since the attitudes of secondary school teachers toward inclusion of students with ASD have not been examined, it was important to look at the attitudes of these teachers towards the inclusion of students with ASD so that it is implemented successfully. Over 2000 secondary school teachers completed an online survey. Data were collected using a convenience sample and analyzed using SPSS. The results of the study indicated that secondary school teachers in Riyadh had positive attitudes toward inclusion of students with ASD. Furthermore, most teachers participating in this study indicated that the placement of students with ASD should be determined based on the severity of ASD symptoms. In addition, secondary school teachers’ attitudes differed based on the following variables: years of teaching experience, gender, level of education, and type of school. This study suggested that secondary school teachers should be provided with effective training and professional development so that they can include students with ASD. The use of the convenience sample and the online survey could limit the generalizability of the results. Future research should examine teachers pre-service and their knowledge about ASD.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Al Jaffal, Mohammed"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"PhD","degree_level":"Immediate Access","degree_discipline":"Counseling, Psychology, & Special Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Temple S. Lovelace","Morgan Chitiyo","Gibbs Kanyongo"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-05-10T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-05-10T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:10:50Z","subjects":["students","autism","inclusion","teacher attitude","secondary school teachers","Saudi Arabia","Special Education and Teaching"],"languages":["English"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1755","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Temple S. Lovelace","Morgan Chitiyo","Gibbs Kanyongo"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Al Jaffal, Mohammed"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2019-05-10T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Counseling, Psychology, & Special Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Immediate Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["PhD"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["students","autism","inclusion","teacher attitude","secondary school teachers","Saudi Arabia","Special Education and Teaching"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1755"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purpose of this study was to examine secondary school teachers’ attitudes regarding the inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, students with ASD can attend regular education classrooms, especially in elementary and middle schools. In addition, the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia is interested in the inclusion of students with ASD in secondary schools. Since the attitudes of secondary school teachers toward inclusion of students with ASD have not been examined, it was important to look at the attitudes of these teachers towards the inclusion of students with ASD so that it is implemented successfully. Over 2000 secondary school teachers completed an online survey. Data were collected using a convenience sample and analyzed using SPSS. The results of the study indicated that secondary school teachers in Riyadh had positive attitudes toward inclusion of students with ASD. Furthermore, most teachers participating in this study indicated that the placement of students with ASD should be determined based on the severity of ASD symptoms. In addition, secondary school teachers’ attitudes differed based on the following variables: years of teaching experience, gender, level of education, and type of school. This study suggested that secondary school teachers should be provided with effective training and professional development so that they can include students with ASD. The use of the convenience sample and the online survey could limit the generalizability of the results. Future research should examine teachers pre-service and their knowledge about ASD.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Attitudes of Secondary School Teachers Regarding Inclusion of Students with Autism in Saudi Arabia"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Temple S. Lovelace","Morgan Chitiyo","Gibbs Kanyongo"],"dc:creator":["Al Jaffal, Mohammed"],"dc:date.available":["2019-05-10T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The purpose of this study was to examine secondary school teachers’ attitudes regarding the inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, students with ASD can attend regular education classrooms, especially in elementary and middle schools. In addition, the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia is interested in the inclusion of students with ASD in secondary schools. Since the attitudes of secondary school teachers toward inclusion of students with ASD have not been examined, it was important to look at the attitudes of these teachers towards the inclusion of students with ASD so that it is implemented successfully. Over 2000 secondary school teachers completed an online survey. Data were collected using a convenience sample and analyzed using SPSS. The results of the study indicated that secondary school teachers in Riyadh had positive attitudes toward inclusion of students with ASD. Furthermore, most teachers participating in this study indicated that the placement of students with ASD should be determined based on the severity of ASD symptoms. In addition, secondary school teachers’ attitudes differed based on the following variables: years of teaching experience, gender, level of education, and type of school. This study suggested that secondary school teachers should be provided with effective training and professional development so that they can include students with ASD. The use of the convenience sample and the online survey could limit the generalizability of the results. Future research should examine teachers pre-service and their knowledge about ASD.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1755"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:subject":["students","autism","inclusion","teacher attitude","secondary school teachers","Saudi Arabia","Special Education and Teaching"],"dc:title":["The Attitudes of Secondary School Teachers Regarding Inclusion of Students with Autism in Saudi Arabia"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Counseling, Psychology, & Special Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Immediate Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["PhD"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:10:50Z"}