The Perceptions and Attitudes of Peers towards Students with Special Needs as Reflected by Their Drawings and the Social Acceptance Scale

Abstract

Inclusive education processes, in which teachers, students and parents play an active role, serve an extremely important function in the adaptation of individuals with special needs to academic and social life. These educational processes serve the purpose of including individuals with special needs in the same learning environments with their peers. In this way, these individuals not only improve their skills more quickly, but also improve their social abilities through interaction with their peers, increasing their likelihood of being accepted by the society at large. It is critical for their peers to be aware of the needs of children with special needs and to approach them with this awareness so that inclusive education proves successful and individuals with special needs can have a better future. In this study, the perceptions of peers towards individuals with special needs were determined through their drawings, and their attitudes towards these individuals were revealed by means of the applied attitude scale. The 42 drawings obtained were examined and a total of five themes were generated, namely: help and friendship, success, exclusion, physical challenges, and hospital-rehabilitation center settings. Based on the pictures drawn by children who are developing typically and their answers on the scale, it can be concluded that they generally have a positive attitude towards their peers with special needs and they mostly do not see them as distinct from their other friends.