Examining the Issue of Teachers’ Compassion in Teaching People with Disabilities (PWDs) in the Regular Classroom

Examining the Issue of Teachers’ Compassion in Teaching People with Disabilities (PWDs) in the Regular Classroom

Ezenwosu, Ngozi Elizabeth; Esomonu, Nkechi Patricia-Mary; Anyanwu, Adeline Nne; Emesi, Kingsley Ekene          

 Department of Educational Foundations Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.903SEDU0196

Received: 20 March 2025; Accepted: 29 March 2025; Published: 05 May 2025

ABSTRACT

In teaching people with disabilities and promoting the desire of the teachers to engage these people more meaningful and promoting their wellbeing in the regular classroom is thus a priority in the implementation of special education policy in the Nigerian education setting. The present study explored the issue of teachers’ compassion in teaching people with disabilities (PWDs) in the regular classroom. Four research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The study adapted a predictive correlational research design. The sample size is made up of 780 secondary school teachers in Anambra State. Multi-stage procedure was used to select the sample size. Two standardized research instruments namely; teachers’ willingness to Teach Challenging Children Questionnaire (TWTCCQ) and Compassionate Action and Engagement Scale (CAES) were used for data collection. Cronbach’s alpha was used to determine the reliability of the items in the instruments. Reliability indices of 0.61, 0.68, 0.73, and 0.78, were obtained for self-compassion, compassion for others, compassion from others, and teaching people with disabilities respectively.  The findings showed that the relationship among teachers’ self-compassion, compassion for others, and compassion from others was positively and significantly related. While the relationship among teachers’ self-compassion, compassion for others, compassion from others and willingness teach people with disabilities was negatively and significantly related. Also, result revealed that teachers’ self-compassion, compassion for others, and compassion from others contributed negatively to the predicting model. As the findings indicate that teachers’ compassion significantly predicted their willingness to teach PWDs in the regular classrooms, it was recommended that government should conduct seminers and other relevant training programs that will enable the teachers to endorse being compassionate as behaviour that can impact meaningfully in their teaching profession.

Keywords: Teachers’ Compassion and Teaching People with Disabilities, Willingness, Regular Classroom

INTRODUCTION

There is a growing research interest in teachers’ compassion as a psychological construct in Nigerian literature. The positive effect of compassion on mental health has been studied empirically and investigated as therapeutic intervention. Research shows that compassion is related to wellbeing, mental health, and physical health (Jinpa, 2015, Phillips & Hine, 2021). Thus, compassion warrants further investigation, especially in the teaching and learning that involves people with disabilities in the inclusion classroom. However, investigating issue with teachers’ compassion in teaching PWDs in inclusive classroom will provide more insights to observe, identify, and interpret the factors that could influence teachers to be compassionate towards students with disabilities. The adaptive insightful behavior will guide the researchers to ascribe meaning to these factors as behaviors that could be psychologically and emotionally influencing the teacher’s willingness to engage PWDs in the teaching process. This is because compassion is related to paying attention to and engaging with suffering as well as developing the need to work out how to be helpful to actualize individual’s wellbeing (Gilbert, 2020).  As compassion requires more investigation, especially in a cross-cultural way that involves teaching profession in the inclusive classroom.  Nigeria is one of the countries in Africa that unify the West African education system and African tradition together. Thus, examining compassion within the Nigerian education system can provide new insights and rational constructive reasoning towards humanity.

Nested to the present study is issues in teachers’ compassion and understanding this as critical personality construct will enable the researchers to advance in emphasizing the significant impact of teachers’ being compassionate, its positive effect on their mental and physical health in relating with PWDs in the regular classroom. Compassion is a feeling of concern for others summarized in tangible positive action. It involves a sympathetic awareness of another’s distress and a desire to help alleviate the distress. Barton and Gravis (2021) argue that compassion should be embedded within all educational practices and curriculum. Barton and Gravis described teachers’ compassion to represent the way teachers demonstrate the value of caring for and about other people especially the learners in their classrooms which can make a powerful and positive difference. It is the responsibility of teachers to provide learners with knowledge, skills, and values that will help them work at their studies collaboratively and sensitively to become critical thinkers, decision makers who plan their time effectively and achieve their set goals.

However, looking at teaching PWDs is as well as defining the willingness to include Children with Special Needs (CWSNs) in the regular classes. This implies the intention of a teacher to take appropriate steps to the inclusion of (CWSNs) in a regular classroom (Gilar, & Katz, 2019). This infers that teaching PWDs manifested in teachers’ intention or willing to engage and invest a corrected effort to ensure that their lessons address students with disabilities. It is that enigma/enthusiasm and readiness of teachers to accept PWDs in their classes in such a way that they will teach and provide emotional supports to disabled students. Teachers who are ready, willing to accept, and engage PWDs in regular classes modify their teaching technique for the benefit of all learners in the regular classes.

Teaching PWDs in inclusive education have focused on teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education (Singh, & Singh, 2020, Salovila, 2020). Attitude is a complex construct that is crucial in the development teachers’ compassion which reflect their desire to responsibility and concern in teaching PWDs in inclusive classroom. Researchers have drawn from the evidence in the literature that mere possession of a positive attitude toward inclusive education is not really enough in regard to actual willing efforts in inclusive education policy implementation (Gilar, & Katz, 2019). Indeed, there is the likelihood for individuals to differ in practical terms from their reported attitude to a situation. What this means is that there is the possibility that the perceived attitude of individual teacher may influence his/her nature of compassionate to teaching PWDs when the situation presents itself.

Understanding teachers’ compassion as critical issue that can influence the regular teachers in educating People with Disabilities PWDs in their classes stands very crucial given the fact that Nigeria is a signatory to several international agreements and arrangement that favor inclusive education. There is a high dropout rate in both Nigeria primary and secondary schools (Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, JONAPWD, 2015) with about 95% of PWDs technically denied access to basic education. A number of teachers are opposed to the idea of inclusive education for PWDs which imperatively will affect their willingness to accept PWDs in classes. Suffice it to say that, the urgent need to advance inclusive education in Nigeria demands that examining issues in teachers’ compassion that could explain the willingness of the teachers to engage and accept PWDs in their teaching profession has remain critically unexamined in the educational research in Nigeria. The understanding of the interplay between teacher’s compassion toward inclusive education necessitated this study. This is because teachers’ compassion has been considered a potent factor that could impact positively in teaching PWDs in the regular classroom. It is on the above assertions towards teachers’ compassion in teaching PWDs that the study hypothesized that this dispositional construct could potentially predict their willingness to teach PWDs in the regular classroom.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Gilbert (2017) model that described issues with human compassion using engagement and action inferred that the first psychology of engagement in compassion includes sensing stimuli, which is the sensitivity to pay attention to one’s suffering and being engaged. This described compassion as the desire to accept the pain without criticism and tolerating it with a rationalist approach. As part of being sensitive, people can become more focused on their attention (Gillin et al, 2014) and be emphatically attuned to suffering and what would be helpful (Zaki, 2014). The second psychological issue in Gilbert’s et al (2019) model related to the competencies to take compassionate action, such as implementing coping strategies for suffering and distress. The first step of the process is to learn to direct attention toward and then to imagine and plan the action (Ari et al, 2022). Emphasizing enables one to prepare to focus on those insights which are converted into compassionate action. This second psychological issue comprised of four areas in the psychological beliefs system such as; attention, thought, behavuoir, and emotion.

In an attempt to understand issues with compassion, Gilbert (2017) further observed that the first psychological issue as being related to engagement with compassion involves the following six basic qualities: (1) the motivation to approach pain; (2) sensitive attention; (3) emotional bonding; (4) tolerance to stress; (5) cognitive empathy and perspective-taking; and (6) not being judgmental. In contrast, the second psychological issue based on being attentive to pain and to take action. It implies that the second psychological issue consists of two psychologies as well as three orientations, these being compassion for others, self, and from others. This also implies that issues on compassion consist of two psychologies as well as three orientations, that deal with being compassion for others, self, and from others.

Compassion for others requires one to pay attention to others’ signals of distress, tolerance, and empathy without being judgmental to motivate the individual to help (Ari et al, 2022). Those individuals who are high with compassion for others are prone to seek compassion from others and also tend to be high with self-compassion. However, those who are high with compassion for others but not open to receiving compassion from others are themselves low on self-compassion (Hermanton & Zuroff, 2016).

Compassion from others is related to one’s experiences with others and how others give compassion and support to the one. This is social support pattern that shield one from depression and distress and as a factor that increases psychological resilience (Guidance & Watch, 2007). In the absence of social support or in the presence of criticism and disturbance, depression and other mental problems increase (Hirschfield & Cross, 1983). Thus, being open to the compassion coming from others by the teachers is a protective factor from criticism and depression which may influence mental and physical health.

Important, also is self-compassion which is being open and aware of one’s own suffering, and trying to alleviate the associated suffering with self-kindness. Neff (2023) critically described self-compassion as being supportive toward one self when experiencing suffering or pain be it caused by personal mistakes and inadequacies or external life challenges. According to Neff, self-compassion comprised of six different dimensions: increased self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness as well as reduced self-judgment, isolation, and over identification. It means that being self-critical or having feelings of insufficiency could impair mental health of the teachers while being self-compassionate would also help the teachers to develop a non-judgmental attitude toward teachers’ inadequacies by accepting that all humans suffer. It is on these observations that the researchers have beginning to assume that the nature of teacher’s compassion for one’s self or self-compassion, compassion for others, and compassion from others, would affect or influence teachers’ willingness to teach People with Disabilities (PWDs) in the regular classroom. People with Disabilities (PWDs) can also be understood as Children with Special Needs (CWSNs) and teaching them in the regular classes irrespective of the nature and the type of compassion that describes the teachers’ readiness to teach could be affected by the work-related stress (Adeniyi, & Olufemi-Adeniyi, 2023), which affects their job functions and emotions.  In an attempt to explore the intricate interplay between the teachers’ self-compassion and their willingness to teach (PWDs), Al-Awamleh (2020) comprehend self-compassion as a character trait consisting of self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness that promotes adaptive cognitive, behavioral, and emotional processing that is natural, trainable, and multi-faceted human capacity.

Gilbert et al (2015) revealed that compassion has also been evaluated from different perspectives such as evolutionary and social psychology and spiritual traditions and Buddhism and Sufism.  From the spiritual traditions perspective, Rumi, one of the compassion scholars in Turkey’s cultural tradition, described compassion as being connected to the mercy of God (Dalia, 2011).   Evolutionary psychology and Buddhist psychology focus on compassion as a core human motive which shows that compassion is intended to reduce stress and increased wellbeing for one’s self and others. This described the basic motivational orientation or the reason for individual to be compassionate and empathetic sensitive within the context.

Understanding the orientation perspective of compassion from the evolutionary view created different pathways that focused on attitudes that describe self-motive. For example, Neff (2023) suggested that compassion which described self-motive is comprised of three factors which involved awareness of one’s suffering, accepting that all human suffer, and approaching oneself with kindness. These related factors are commonly referred to as mindfulness, common humanity, and self-kindness. In relation to this, Gilbert (2017, p.73) defined compassion aa a basic algorithm of sensitivity to suffering in self and others with a commitment to try to alleviate and prevent it.  This involves two ideas, first is the need to pay attention to and engage with suffering and the second is need to work out how to be helpful. According to Gilbert (2015) the evolution based description of compassion presents a multiple flow orientation perspective which involves compassion for others, for self, and from others. These factors from the orientation perspective are the critical issues that describe the nature and rationale for individual’s compassion. Thus, issues with compassion can be realized once the developmental and motivational stages are understood. For example, Ari, et al (2022) suggested that, if one is sensitive to others’ suffering, then one can seek to alleviate pain and devote oneself to preventing it. In addition to that, connecting prosocial behavior as well as engaging interpersonal benefits to one’s life (Brown & Brow, 2015).

To facilitate teachers’ compassion in the inclusive classroom, compassionate school’s initiative could be introduced to actualize teachers’ training, guidance, referral, agency, social and technical assistance. This main primary goal should be to keep teachers engage and teach PWDs through a supported healthy climate and culture within the school.  Important, also, Kohler-Evans and Barnes (2015) noted that teachers’ of young children can easily use connections, such as his or her students’ experiences with family members, pets, community, or their places of worship to help students develop a consciousness of the meaning of compassion. Teachers can develop consciousness by engaging students in conversation, or even asking them to draw or act out what compassion looks like. The scholars also noted that the attentive teacher can connect his or students with others by utilizing their prior experiences and asking them to reflect on those experiences in preparing for the arrival of a new student from a different school, culture or community. The teacher of older students can use her students’ interests to build a curriculum that allows them to become more aware of a global issue, problem or situation, then begin to engage in activities and instruction which affords them an opportunity to learn about the subject at a deeper level.

A number of studies have reported teachers’ compassion in relation with teaching PWDs in regular classroom in line with western culture, but there is a paucity of study on this aspect in the Nigerian special education literature. For example, Varol, Nuri, and Direkto (2021) study anchored on the examination of compassion levels of special education teacher candidates in terms of some socio-demographic variables. In their study, compassion was examined in six dimensions: tenderness, apathy, awareness of sharing, disconnection, conscious awareness, and disengagement. It was discovered that the total mean scores of all the dimensions of compassion is high. This explained the fact that ethics of education has an important place in special education teacher education. It was revealed that there is a statistically significance and positive relationship between students-teacher effective teaching qualities scores, being awareness of sharing and conscious awareness. Accordingly, as the scores of the students on the effective teaching qualities increase, their tenderness, being awareness of sharing and conscious awareness scores also increase. It was determined that there is a statistically significance and negative relationship between the scores of students on the effective teaching qualities and the apathy, disconnection and disengagement dimensions of the compassion.  Accordingly, as the scores of the students in the effective teaching qualities increase, their apathy, disconnection, and disengagement scores decrease. The impact of this finding to the present study is that it will help the researchers to understand teachers’ compassion as one of the ethics that governs teacher education and teaching profession in general. We, in line with these observations, believe that teacher’s eager to teach PWDs is critical to the efforts being made in Nigerian to advance compassionate behavior in inclusive classroom. This is because inclusive education aims to guarantee equitable access to education for all children. It allows all students to gain access to their schools of choice irrespective of their strengths, weaknesses and disabilities. It is on the above finding that we hypothesized that teachers’ self-compassion, compassion for others, and compassion from others could have the potentials to predict their willingness to teach PWDs in inclusive classroom in Nigeria.

Research Questions

1. To what extent are the assumptions of multiple regression equation for predicting teaching people with disabilities scores using self-compassion, compassion for others, and compassion from others scores in the regular classroom?
2. What is the nature of the regression equation for predicting teaching people with disabilities scores using teachers’ compassion scores in the regular classroom?
3. What is the unique contributions self-compassion, compassion for others and compassion from others scores to predict teaching people with disabilities scores in the regular classroom?
4. Which of the independent variables such as; self-compassion, compassion for others and compassion from others that best predicted teaching people with disabilities scores in the regular classroom?

HYPOTHESES

The following null hypotheses will be tested at .05 level of significance.

1. The regression equation does not significantly predict teaching people with disabilities scores using self-compassion, compassion for others and compassion from others scores in the regular classroom.
2. The unique contributions of self-compassion, compassion for others and compassion from others scores to predict teaching people with disabilities scores is not significant in the regular classroom.
3. Self-compassion, compassion for others and compassion from others scores do not significantly predict teaching people with disabilities scores in the regular classroom.

RESEARCH METHOD

The researchers adopted a predictive correlational design for the study.  The sample size of the study consists of 780 secondary school teachers in Anambra State. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select the respondents. The first stage consisted of randomly sampling 30 secondary schools (five from each education zone) that made up six Education Zones in Anambra State. At the second stage, a simple random sampling technique was used to select 26 teachers from each secondary school, which resulted to 780 teachers The study adapted standardized research questionnaires namely, Low et al (2019) Teachers Willingness to Teach Challenging Children Questionnaire (TWTCCQ) to examine teaching people with disabilities.  The Compassionate Action and Engagement Scales (CAES) developed by Gilbert et al (2019) was used to teacher’s compassion.

The methods used for validating the instruments were face and construct validity by the three experts from the Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka. Cronbach’s alpha reliability method was used to determine the internal consistency of the items in the research questions such as 0.61, 0.68, 0.73 and 0.78 were obtained for self-compassion, compassion for others, compassion from others and teaching people with disabilities respectively. The data were analyzed using standard multiple regression analyses. Research question 1 was answered using multiple regression equation. Research question 2 was answered using unstandardized β. Research question 3 was answered using adjusted R². Research question 4 was answered using unstandardized β.  Hypothesis 1 was tested F-test for regression model. Hypothesis 2 was tested   using t-test for adjusted R². at .05 alpha level significance. While hypothesis 3 was tested using t-test for β.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

The data were first screened for missing values, and 60 respondents had missing values representing 7.69%. Hence likewise deletion approach was adopted. After deleting the 60 respondents, the sample size was reduced to 720. Thereafter, analysis of the study was carried out using standard multiple regression analysis with SPSS 25.

Research question : To what extent are the assumptions of the regression equation for predicting teaching people with disabilities scores using teachers’ compassion scores met in the regular classroom?

Table 1: Correlation and descriptive statistics of independent and dependent variables in the regression model for this study (N = 720).

Std. Residual Min = 3.053, Std. residual Max = -2.942, Durbin Waston statistics = .845. SCOM = Self-Compassion, COMFR = Compassion from Others, COMFOR = Compassion for Others and TPWDs = Teaching People with Disabilities.

Fig 1 the normal P.P plot of standardized residuals data points of teaching people with disabilities.

Fig 2 the normal distribution curve of standardized residuals data points of teaching people with disabilities.

Fig 3 the scatter plot of standardized residuals data points of teaching people with disabilities.

To answer research question 1, seven assumptions of multiple linear regression were tested in this study. First, the assumptions of normality of the data were tested using Skewness and Kurtosis. The assumptions were made since none of the Skewness and Kurtosis values of each of the variables do not exceed + 3 and – 3 as recommended. Second, the assumptions of absence of multivariate outliers was checked using standardized residual statistics and Cook’s distance statistics (1977). Result of standardized residual values indicated that the (Std, Residual Min = 3.053, Std, Residual Max = -2.942). It lies between -3 to 3 as recommended by (Tabachnick and Fidell, 2018). While the result of the Cook’s distance shows a maximum value of .023 which is less than 1 as recommended by (Cook, 1977). Hence, the assumptions of absence of multivariate outliers was not violated. Third, the assumptions of absence of multicollinearity among the predicting variables were checked using Variance Inflated Factor (VIF), and Tolerance Factor (TF). The Tolerance Factors and Variance Inflated Factors (Self-compassion, TF = .707, VIF = 1.414; Compassion from others, TF = .666, VIF = 1.501; Compassion for others, TF = .798, VIF = 1.253 of the independent variables show that the values were less than 10 for Variance Inflated Factor and greater than .20 for Tolerance Factor respectively as recommended by (Schumaker, 2015). Hence, this assumption of absence of multicollinearity was made. Forth, the assumption of independent of error was tested using Durbin Waston statistics. The result shown a Durbin Waston statistics of .845 which is less than 3 but greater than 0 as recommended by (Denis, 2020). Hence, the assumption of independent of error was not violated. Fifth, the assumptions of normality of error distribution were tested using normal P.P plot of standardized residual. Figure 1shows that the normal P.P plot of standardized residual data points were normally distributed. Histogram of the standardized residual in figure 2 also testified to that. Sixth, the assumption of homogeneity of variance and linearity was tested using scatter plot of standardized predicted values. The result in figure 3 shows that the data met the assumption of   homogeneity of variance and linearity as the predicted values were distributed above zero in both dimensions and do not show any pattern. Seventh, the assumptions of non-zero variance were tested using variance statistics and the data also met the assumptions of non-zero variances (Self-compassion, Variance = 12.827; Compassion from others, Variance = 13.897; Compassion for others, Variance = 12.310; Teaching People with Disabilities, Variance = 11.755) as there is no zero variance for the variables in the study as shown in the table 1.

Research Question : What is the nature of the regression equation for predicting teaching people with disabilities scores using teachers’ compassion scores in the inclusive classroom?

Table 2: Regression coefficient for teachers’ compassion scores (N = 720).

Using the information in table 2, the nature of the regression equation for predicting teaching people with disabilities scores follows:

Y = b0 + b1x1 + b2 x 2 + b3 x3

Y = 30.682 + -.132 x 1+ -.125 x 2 + -.075x 3

TPWDs = 30.682– 0.132 – 0.25 – 0.225

TPWDs = 30.682– 0.132SC – 0.25CFRO – 0.225CFOR

SC = Self-Compassion, CFRO = Compassion from Others, CFOR = Compassion for Others. The equation shows that for every unit decrease in self-compassion, teaching people with disabilities decreased by -0.132 with percentage of (-0.018%). For every unit decrease in compassion from others, teaching people with disabilities decreased by – 0.25 with percentage of (-0.017%). For every unit decrease in compassion for others, teaching people with disabilities decreased by – 0.225 with percentage of (-0.010%).

Research Question : What is the unique contributions of teachers’ compassion scores to predict teaching with disabilities scores in the inclusive classroom?

Table 3:  Regression model summary of teachers’ compassion scores to predict teaching people with disabilities scores (N = 720).

To answer this research question, the adjusted multiple regression R square was used. The result of study shows that using teachers’ compassion scores yielded an adjusted R squared of .075.  This implies that predictors accounted for about 7.5% of the variance scores in teaching people with disabilities.

Research Question : Which of the independent variables such as, self-compassion, compassion for others and compassion from others best predicted teaching people with disabilities scores in the inclusive classroom?

Table 4: Regression coefficient for teaching people with disabilities scores using teachers’ compassion scores (N = 720).

Table 4: Regression coefficient for teaching people with disabilities scores using teachers’ compassion scores. To answer this research question 4, the standardized regression coefficient (β) in table 4 was used for comparison. The regression coefficients presented in table 4 shows unstandardized (β) and standardized regression coefficient (β) self-compassion scores are -.132 and -.137. For compassion from others scores are -.125 and -.135. For compassion for others scores are -.075 and -.077. Using the standardized (β) for comparison, self-compassion mostly predicted teaching people with disabilities as shown by the β of -.137 with (-0.019%). Compassion from others is the second most predicted teaching people with disabilities as shown by the β of -.125 with (-0.018%).  Compassion from others is the third most predicted teaching people with disabilities as shown by the β of -.077 with (-0.0106%) respectively.

Hypothesis 1: The regression model does not significantly predict teaching people with disabilities scores in the inclusive classroom.

Table 5: F- test for regression model of teachers’ compassion scores on teaching people with disabilities scores (N = 720).

The analysis of variance in the table 5 shows that the regression equation was significant (3, 716) = 20.428, p < .05. This implies that at least one of the independent variables significantly predicted teaching people with disabilities.

Hypothesis : The unique contributions of self-compassion, compassion for others and compassion from others scores to predict teaching people with disabilities scores is not statistically significant in the inclusive classroom?

Table 6. t-test of adjusted R square of the regression model for this study (N = 720).

To test hypothesis 2, t-test for adjusted R square was conducted. Results of the study shown in table 6 indicates that t-critical for adjusted R square is 1.960 while that of the t-calculated is 7.34582. Since the t-calculated for adjusted R square 7.34582 is greater than t-critical 1.960, the null hypothesis which states that the unique contributions of self-compassion, compassion for others and compassion from others scores to predict teaching people with disabilities scores is not statistically significant is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted. In other words, the unique contributions of self-compassion, compassion for others and compassion from others scores to predict teaching people with disabilities scores is statistically significant. Effect sizes were also evaluated using adjusted R² comparing it with Cohen’s d statistics guideline, where d < 0.20 indicates a minimal effects size, 0.20 < d < 0.50 indicates a small effect size, 0.50 < d < 0.80 indicates a moderate effect size and d > 0.80 indicates a large effect size. The value of R adjusted square .075 indicates a moderate effect size.

Hypothesis : Self-compassion, compassion from others, and compassion for others do not significantly predict teaching people with disabilities in the inclusive classroom.

Table 7: t-test of regression coefficient of teaching people with disabilities scores using Self-compassion, compassion from others, and compassion for others scores (N = 720).

Table 7 shows that self-compassion, compassion from others, and compassion for others scores significantly predicted teaching people with disabilities in the inclusive classroom. since their p-values are smaller than .05.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

The findings from the study indicated that the seven assumptions that were tested did not violate the statistical guides being consulted in the process of checking the assumptions. This is an indication that teachers’ compassion (self-compassion, compassion for others and compassion from others) and their willingness to teach people with disabilities represent and reflect on their true attitudes, empathy, self-kindness and common humanity to implement inclusive education policy in Nigeria. In the study, it was indicated that the relationship among teachers’ self-compassion, compassion for others and compassion from others was moderately and positively significant. The study also indicated that the relationship among teachers’ self-compassion, compassion for others, compassion from others and willingness to teach people with disabilities was negatively and significantly low. This shows that there are an interactive and compensatory beliefs within the minds of the teachers in relation with teaching people with disabilities. The positive relationship being recorded in the present study supported the study of Varol, Nuri, and Direktor (2021) which revealed that there is a statistically significance and positive relationship between students and teachers’ effective teaching qualities scores, being awareness of sharing and conscious awareness that represent attributes of compassion in the teaching process. The difference between the present study and the study of Varol et al is that the present study anchored on the professional teachers’ compassion and their willingness to teach people with disabilities without involving any student, while Varol et al study concentrated on student-teachers’ compassion in the process of teaching students in the classroom. Findings from the present study revealed that the mean scores of self-compassion, compassion for others, compassion from others and teaching people with disabilities were high and it indicates that teacher’s central dispositional beliefs to teach people with disabilities is high. This supported the findings from the study of Varol et al which recorded that the total mean scores of all the dimensions of compassion such as tenderness, apathy, awareness of sharing, disconnection, conscious awareness, and disengagement is high.

The findings from the result revealed that on the nature of regression equation, self-compassion, compassion for others and compassion from others contributed negatively to the predicting model. That is for every unit decrease in teachers’ self-compassion, compassion for others and compassion from others, willingness to teach people with disabilities decreased respectively. This implies that the dimensions of teachers’ compassion have low negative level of influence on their willingness to teach people with disabilities in the regular classroom. This does not support the study of Varol et al which recorded that as the scores on the effective teaching qualities increase, their tenderness, being aware of sharing, and conscious awareness scores also increased. Also, Varol et al study partly supported the present study as it recorded that there is a statistically significant and negative relationship between the scores of effective teaching qualities and apathy, disconnection and disengagement dimensions of the compassion. their study indicates that as the scores of the effective teaching qualities increased, their apathy, disconnection and disengagement scores decreased. In the present study, the result revealed that using multiple regression R square stands to prove a dynamic joint prediction of self-compassion, compassion for others and compassion from others scores. The small percentage (7.5%) of these variables in predicting teachers’ willingness to teach people with disabilities scores indicated that the constructs are salient predictors of teachers’ eager and readiness to engage people with disabilities in the teaching process. With this observation, researchers partly believe that teachers’ compassion and willingness to teach people with disabilities in the regular classroom will play a robust role in the implementation of special education policies in the education system.

Findings from the study also indicate that the independent variables have roles to play on teachers’ willingness to teach people with disabilities scores in the regular classroom. For example, when teachers’ levels of self-compassion, compassion for others and compassion from others scores are negatively low, their level of willingness to confidently adjust and engage in teaching people with disabilities will be negatively low.  Finding in the study using effect sizes to evaluate the contribution of adjusted R² to compare it with Cohen’s d statistics guideline, the value of R adjusted square .075 indicates a minimal effect. This shows that willingness to teach people with disabilities is decreasing considering the personality constructs being tested in the present study. It is an indication that there is teachers’ apathy to respond, adjust, engage and teach people with disabilities in the regular classroom.

CONCLUSION

The present study concluded that the intricate interplay among the three components of teachers’ compassion scores (self-compassion, compassion for others and compassion from others) jointly  and significantly predicted their willingness to  teach people with disabilities in the regular classroom.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made:

1. As a result of the moderate and low negative relationship that described the level of teachers’ compassion in teaching people with disabilities, it shows that little attention has been given to teachers’ compassionate behaviour in teaching people with disabilities. For this reason, Nigerian government should recognise the need to address this short coming in the professional development of teachers’ ethic, such as teachers’ compassion in teaching people with disabilities.
2. As the findings indicate that teachers’ compassion significantly predicted their willingness to teach PWDs in the regular classrooms, government should conduct seminers and other relevant training programs that will enable the teachers to endorse being compassionate as behaviour that can impact meaningfully in their teaching profession.
3. It was observed that using multiple regression approach in the study indicates that for every decrease in each component of teachers’ compassion, the willingness to teach PWDs also decreased its’s value, the researchers recommended that another method such as hierachical regression and path analysis should be used in the future research to obtain another meaningful contribution to the exixting literature.

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