Social Distance of University Students towards Individuals with Special Needs

Abstract

ABSTRACT People acquire professional knowledge and skills throughout university education during which their social relations network, orientation and social perceptions are also shaped. Due to the importance of university education period, the purpose of this study was to determine the social distance levels of the university students towards individuals with special needs. The study group consisted of a total of 1293 students continuing their university education in a province located in southeastern Turkey. The Bogardus Social Distance Scale was used as the data collection tool in this descriptive study. The results revealed that the participants indicated the greatest social distance towards individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism while the lowest distance was observed towards gifted individuals. It was found that most of the university students do not prefer to ‘get married’, ‘become a close kin member by marriage’ and ‘become a fellow employee (co-worker)’ with individuals with special needs. The results also revealed that students’ knowledge about special needs groups and their contact frequency with individuals with special needs are significant factors affecting their social distance. However, social distance does not differ with respect to gender of the participants.