Students' attitudes towards inclusive school practice

Introduction. Healthy students are actors that influence the success of inclusive practice. Their attitude to inclusion determines the psychological microclimate in the classroom, the nature of interpersonal interaction with peers with disabilities. Denial of inclusive values entails the risk of social ostracism and exclusion, and acceptance ensures the formation of a truly inclusive children's team interacting on an equal basis. Studying the attitude of healthy students to inclusive practice is important for determining preventive measures to prevent destructive processes in the educational space of the school. Materials and methods. The method for studying the attitude of healthy students to inclusive school practice was a questionnaire. The participants of the study were 76 teenagers aged 12 to 14 years. Results. Healthy students, whose share was no more than a sixth of the respondents, expressed an unambiguously negative attitude towards inclusive school practice through answers to the questions of the questionnaire. A quarter of the study participants assessed inclusive processes as natural. Their attitude towards classmates with health problems is positive. The remaining respondents did not have a clear position on inclusion. These schoolchildren demonstrated an indifferent attitude towards joint education with peers with developmental disabilities. Discussion and conclusions. A positive attitude of healthy students towards inclusive school practice is possible only in an educational environment with an inclusive culture. Denial of inclusive values does not ensure that students with disabilities acquire socializing experience. Recognition of the value of inclusion is demonstrated by healthy students who have developed constructive interpersonal interactions with classmates with disabilities.