CHAPTER 8: Special Education in the Caribbean: Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Inclusion in Barbados, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent

After describing the educational practices in the Caribbean islands of Barbados, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent, a study of teachers’ attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities is presented. Participants (n = 642) in this survey study completed the Scale of Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Inclusive Classrooms (STATIC) (Cochran, 1999). Results indicated that teachers differed significantly in their attitudes across islands. Teachers in the Cayman Islands, Barbados, and St. Lucia had more positive attitudes toward inclusion than teachers in the other islands. Teachers who taught smaller classes and those who had training in special education, or were teaching special education classes, had more positive attitudes than others.