Professional Competence of Senior-Grade Primary School Teachers in Educating Students with Disabilities in an Inclusive Education Model

Research Objectives and Problems: The aim of this study is to analyze teachers’ self-assessment of their professional competence in educating students with and without disabilities in grades IV–VIII of primary school. The study investigates two specific questions: (1) What differences can be observed in the self-assessment of professional competence among teachers when educating students with and without disabilities? (2) What is the relationship between the overall assessment of competence for educating students with disabilities and the assessment of specific competencies for educating students without disabilities among the surveyed teachers? Research Methods: The data for this analysis was collected using the Questionnaire of Teacher’s Perceived Professional Competence (KPKZN). A total of 107 teachers of grades IV–VIII (the 2nd stage of primary education) participated in the study. Structure of the Article: The article begins by introducing the concepts of competence, inclusion, and subject-specific teacher preparation for working with students with disabilities based on existing literature. It then outlines the research methods, followed by an analysis and discussion of the results. Research Results and Their Impact on the Development of Educational Sciences: The research findings indicate that teachers’ self-assessments of most competencies, as well as their overall evaluation of competence when working with students with disabilities, are significantly lower compared to their self-assessments of competence when working with students without disabilities. Conclusions and Recommendations: Teachers working with students with disabilities require specialized competencies—such as evaluative, psychological, substantive-methodological, innovative, and communicative skills—that enable them to effectively support and teach their students.