Do teachers’ inclusion-related attitudes and self-efficacy promote academic achievement? Results of a longitudinal study

This study aims to examine whether teachers' attitudes toward inclusion and their inclusion-related self-efficacy affect students' academic achievement in reading, spelling, and mathematics in inclusive schools in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Teachers ( N = 217) and students ( N = 2079) from 26 schools filled out online and paper-and-pencil questionnaires, respectively, at the beginning and at the end of the fifth grade, just after the transition from primary to secondary school. Results from multi-level regression analyses revealed positive effects of teachers' self-efficacy on students' academic achievement in cross-sectional analyses. Analyses of longitudinal data revealed significant effects of teachers' self-efficacy and attitudes on students’ academic achievement in spelling, as well as a significant interaction effect between attitudes and self-efficacy. Against expectations, however, some effects were negative. The results are discussed in the light of the challenges and benefits of promoting inclusive education.