Effects of Exposure to Inclusion and Socioeconomic Status on Parental Attitudes Towards the Inclusion of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the attitudes of parents of normal hearing (NH) children towards the inclusion of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children in the educational setting of their child. In particular, it examined the effect of parental socio economic status (SES) and exposure to inclusion (whether their child was in a class together with DHH children or not) on their attitudes. Hundred and thirteen parents of children with NH aged 4–6 years participated in the study. The parents differed in terms of SES and their experience with inclusion. All the parents completed a questionnaire on general attitudes towards inclusion and a background questionnaire. The parents whose children attended a class that included DHH children completed an additional questionnaire on their evaluation of the effects of the inclusion of DHH children in the regular class. The results indicated that in general, all the parents reported positive attitudes towards the inclusion of DHH children in a regular class with NH children. ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between SES and parental exposure to inclusion on parents’ attitudes towards inclusion. Among parents whose child attended a class that included a DHH child, middle-high SES parental attitudes were more positive than those of lower SES parents. By contrast, among parents whose child was not enrolled in an inclusive class the attitudes of middle-high SES parents were less positive than low SES parents. The results suggest that it is important to obtain information on parents’ attitudes toward inclusive programmes and to address their needs.