Comparing student teachers’ attributions of success or failure of educational interactions involving pupils on the autism spectrum in England, Finland and Sweden

The prevalence of autism is rising. Inclusive education is promoted in England, Finland and Sweden, which means that many pupils on the autism spectrum are taught in the regular classroom. Student teachers’ attributions of success or failure of educational interactions with pupils were sought. Data were collected from student teachers in England (n = 191), Finland (n = 251) and Sweden (n = 262), using the method of empathy stories, in which the students produced imaginary texts based on short frame stories. Drawing on attribution theory, a qualitative deductive analysis was conducted. Causes related to teacher actions and child skills or behaviours were perceived to be the primary causes of success or failure. A key cross-national difference is that the Swedish and English student teachers attributed the causes to teacher actions and child skills in a binary manner, whilst the Finnish student teacher attributions were more diverse. Additionally, the Finnish student teachers wrote longer stories with more detailed descriptions, indicating a more complex understanding of educational interactions with pupils on the autism spectrum.