Mainstreaming: Needs Assessment Through a Videotape Visual Scale

Abstract

This study set out to develop a videotape scale measuring attitude toward atypical students and their music behavior, and to use this scale to investigate the reactions of college music education and therapy majors to these situations. To accomplish this purpose, a tape containing 26 excerpts portraying individuals involved in music activities was viewed by two groups of subjects. One group (N = 44) viewed the tape using Thurstone ratings in determining the degree to which the musical responses portrayed in each segment were common behavior of the general population. These ratings classified the segments as normal, moderately atypical, or extremely atypical. The same tape was viewed by 83 respondents who indicated their willingness to interact, willingness to work with, or felt capability in working with the individual portrayed in each segment. A six-point Likert scale was used in this procedure. Likert scale responses of the majors were then compared for each category (normal, moderately atypical, extremely atypical) using analyses of variance. Results indicated significant differences across majors (p <.001), while the year in college was nonsignificant. These differences remained consistent for all behavioral categories as well as for all three questions.