The respondents worked in the metropolitan area of Helsinki, where 66 were in Helsinki, 23 in Espoo and 44 in Vantaa. There were 133 respondents altogether (113 women and 20 men).The response rate was 46% in Helsinki, 35% in Vantaa and 22% in Espoo. The average response rate was 36% (see Table 2). When asked about the reasons for not responding, the teachers said that the questionnaire was too long (17 pages) and too demanding.
The mean age of the respondents was 44 years, SD = 9.5, ranging from 25 to 62 years.The schools were very different in size. The smallest had only 35 pupils and the biggest 1,100, with a mean of 459 pupils (SD = 205). Most schools had one or two special education teachers. Work experience varied greatly, from less than a year to 32 years as a special education teacher, the mean being 7.9 years (SD = 7.7). Of all the responding teachers, 75 taught at the primary level, 30 at the secondary level, 22 at both primary and secondary