Children's Attitudes toward Their Peers with Down Syndrome in Schools in Rural Ireland: An Exploratory Study

Autor/inn/en	Gannon, Steven; McGilloway, Sinead
Titel	Children's Attitudes toward Their Peers with Down Syndrome in Schools in Rural Ireland: An Exploratory Study
Quelle	In: European Journal of Special Needs Education, 24 (2009) 4, S.455-463 (9 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0885-6257
Schlagwörter	Student Attitudes; Learning Disabilities; Down Syndrome; Audiovisual Aids; Foreign Countries; Rejection (Psychology); Rural Areas; Inclusive Schools; Elementary School Students; Attitudes toward Disabilities; Case Studies; Questionnaires; Gender Differences; Ireland + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Schülerverhalten; Learning handicap; Lernbehinderung; 'Downs Syndrome; Down''s Syndrome'; Down-Syndrom; Audiovisuelles Medium; Ausland; Ablehnung; Rural area; Ländlicher Raum; Inclusive school; Integrative Schule; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Fragebogen; Geschlechterkonflikt; Irland
Abstract	Increasingly, children with Down Syndrome are attending mainstream schools, but evidence suggests that these children are more prone to peer rejection and other problems when compared with their non-disabled counterparts. However, relatively little is known about children's attitudes toward their peers with moderate to serious learning disabilities, including Down Syndrome. This study assessed the attitudes of non-disabled primary school children (n = 118) in mainstream education toward their peers with Down Syndrome. A secondary aim was to assess whether exposure to audiovisual material promoting inclusion had any immediate effects on overall attitudes. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was administered in four rural-based schools. The results showed that female participants over 10 were the most sociable. Overall attitudes toward inclusion were consistently and statistically significantly more negative than those toward sociability. Other factors, such as contact with peers with Down Syndrome, were not related to attitudes. Neither was there any change in overall attitudes following exposure to the promotional material. Further work is needed to identify factors underpinning the attitudes of non-disabled children to their peers with Down Syndrome and how best to promote inclusion in mainstream schools. (Contains 1 table.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10