Improving Pre-Service Teachers’ Attitudes towards Individuals with Mental Illness through an Introduction to Special Education Course

Abstract

Mental illness in children and adults continues to be a controversial and misunderstood topic. Previous research has examined different populations' attitudes toward mental illness, and efforts to change community attitudes toward individuals with mental illness have included contact with the mentally ill and education programs. However, little research has examined teachers’ attitudes toward the mentally ill, nor programs for positively impacting those beliefs. The purpose of the present study was to first assess preservice teachers’ beliefs toward individuals with mental illness and to determine if the completion of an undergraduate Introduction to Special Education course could positively impact their attitudes toward individuals with mental illness. Participants included students attending three different institutions of higher education who were divided into three groups: general education majors, special education majors, and education minors. Results indicated that significant differences were obtained for all institutions and groups among their pre-test and post-test scores on the Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill scale (CAMI). Implications for practice and future research are presented.