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Živa Jakšić Ivačič[1], Milena Košak Babuder[2]

Abstract

Adjustments to the academic process are one of the most crucial factors that enable students with special educational needs (SEN) to succeed in higher education. They can also be viewed as positive discrimination, enabling students with SEN to fully participate in their studies and achieve their educational goals. Students with SEN can be as successful in their studies as their peers without SEN, provided that higher-education teaching staff adjust the academic process. However, willingness to adjust in the academic process is also influenced by teachers’ attitudes toward and provision of adjustments. Research shows that the more positive higher-education teacher' attitudes toward adjustments are, the greater their willingness to adapt the academic process. In the present study, we investigated the attitudes of higher-education teaching staff involved in the teaching process at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, towards adjustments in the academic process for different groups of students with SEN. We found that higher-education teaching staff have a positive attitude towards adjustments in the academic process for all groups of students with SEN, but there is a greater reluctance to adapt the academic process for students with emotional and behavioural problems, blind and visually impaired students, and students with speech and language disorders.

Key words: Higher education; teachers’ attitudes; adjustment; students with special educational needs; inclusion; accessibility