Numerous international documents and studies emphasize the importance of various factors that influence the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs. The aim of this research is to analyse the factors affecting the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs in primary school visual arts education classes, focusing on different beliefs. Three techniques were triangulated to gain as much insight as possible: a survey of a random sample (N = 355) of visual arts education teachers and special education teachers; observation of pupils with special educational needs in visual art classrooms in a purposive non-random sample (N = 76); and interviews with five teachers who implement good teaching practises. Using factor analysis, five themes of beliefs related to working with pupils with special educational needs in the visual arts education were developed: (1) self-efficacy, (2) subject, (3) roles and responsibilities of professionals, (4) negative beliefs about pupils and their inclusion, and (5) the use of adaptations. Teachers expressed mainly positive or neutral beliefs. There is a moderate and a strong positive correlation between beliefs about self-efficacy, subject and roles and responsibilities. In practice, adaptations are most frequently used in the areas of social integration, organization and education. Observers believe that all pupils can benefit from good teaching practice and that few or no additional adaptations are required for pupils with special educational needs. There are rarely adaptations that relate to specific deficits and require advance planning or consultation. Segmentation revealed three groups of teachers united by similarly defined beliefs and previous experiences. Group membership proved to be a good predictor of professional behaviour in the regression analysis, explaining 64% of the variance, meaning that those who have clearly defined beliefs and have used the listed good practices more frequently in the past are more likely to use the listed practices in the future. The professional contribution is represented by the needs of the respondents and good examples of the interviewees' experiences, which can be a starting point for planning additional education and training for practitioners.
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