ATTITUDES OF NON-DISABLED STUDENTS TOWARDS THEIR PEERS WITH DISABILITIES IN AN INCLUSIVE SETTING IN GHANA

Francis Kwame Anku,Anthony Kofi Mensah,Daniel S Q Dogbe

doi:10.46827/ejse.v7i4.3973

Abstract

This study measured the attitudes of non-disabled students towards their peers with disabilities. A cross-sectional survey was employed for the study. The Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes Towards Children with “Handicaps” (CATCH) scale was used to collect data from n=119 respondents. Descriptive statistics analysis was employed in analysing the data. Results indicated that students without disabilities generally held neutral attitudes towards their peers with disabilities (M=2.12; SD=0.687) with no significant difference in gender, age, having a close friend or relative with a disability. Teachers in inclusive education schools were encouraged to measure the attitudes of students towards their peers with disabilities and other related variables. This would enable them to plan, design, develop, implement and evaluate effective interventions that would change non-disabled students’ negative and/or neutral attitudes, thereby ensuring the full social participation of students with disabilities in inclusive settings. Article visualizations:<img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0852/a.php" alt="Hit counter" />

Highlights

The attitudes of classmates or friends towards peers with disabilities can be regarded as an environmental factor that might facilitate or inhibit the social participation of students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in inclusive education settings (Purutcuoglu & Dogan, 2015; Vignes, Godeau, Sentenac, Coley, Navarro, Grandjean, & Arnaud, 2009)
The results show that students generally hold neutral attitudes towards peers with disabilities
Studies identified in this review generally indicate that children's contact with people with disabilities is associated with more positive attitudes towards disability

Summary

Introduction

One of the core ideas behind inclusive education is that students with and without disabilities experience social benefits in attending general education schools together (Flem & Keller, 2000; Hayford, 2013). The attitudes of classmates or friends towards peers with disabilities can be regarded as an environmental factor that might facilitate or inhibit the social participation of students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in inclusive education settings (Purutcuoglu & Dogan, 2015; Vignes, Godeau, Sentenac, Coley, Navarro, Grandjean, & Arnaud, 2009)

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion