Integration: Attitudes of Children in Mainstream Education towards their Peers in Special Classes

Authors

  • Anne Feerick

Keywords:

Mainstream, Special Classes, Children's Attitudes, S.E.N., Special Educational Needs, Integration, Inclusion, Peers

Abstract

In a study of 114 children in ordinary primary schools in Ireland, attitudes of pupils towards their peers with special needs in special classes were examined. Results show that neither very strong positive nor negative attitudes are in evidence; nor is there a clear indication of a negative stereotype. Children in special classes, the study indicates, are not viewed as a homogeneous grouping by their peers in regular classes and allowances are made for individual differences. 

References

Bagley, C., Verma, G., Mallick, K., & Young, L. (1979). Personality, Self Esteem and Social Prejudice. Westmead: Saxon House.

Bak, J.J. & Siperstein, G.N. (1987). Similarity as a factor in effecting change in children's attitudes towards mentally retarded peers. Journal of Mental Deficiency, 91 (5), pp. 524-531.

Brown, R. (1989). Intergroup Relations. Intergroup Relations. Introduction to Psychology: A European Perspective. Oxford: Blackwell.

Gash, H. (1992). Reducing Prejudice: Constructivist Considerations for Special Education. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 7 (2).

Hazel. J. S. & Schumaker, J.B. (1988). Social skills and learning disabilities: Current issues and recommendations for future research. In J. K. Kavanagh and T. J. Truss (Eds.) Learning Disabilities: Proceeding of the National Conference. Parkton, MD: New York. pp 293-344.

Ireland, (1993). Report of the Special Education Review Committee. Dublin: Stationery Office.

Ireland, (1995). Charting Our Education Future: White Paper on Education. Dublin: Stationery Office.

McGee, P. (1990). Special Education in Ireland. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 5 (1) pp 48-63.

Scrambler, G. (1991). Sociology as Applied to Medicine. London: Balliere Tindall.

Stone, W.L. & La Greca, A.M. (1990). The social status of children with learning disabilities: A re-examination. Journal of Learning Disabilties, 23, pp 32-37.

Downloads

Published

1996-11-11

How to Cite

Feerick, A. (1996). Integration: Attitudes of Children in Mainstream Education towards their Peers in Special Classes . REACH: Journal of Inclusive Education in Ireland, 10(1), 25–35. Retrieved from https://reachjournal.ie/index.php/reach/article/view/370

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 1 (1996)

Section

Articles

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Copyright Notice

Authors contributing to REACH: Journal of Inclusive Education in Ireland retain the copyright of their article and at the same time agree to publish their articles under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial- NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License allowing third parties to share, copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format under the following terms:  

  • Attribution (BY): You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
  • NonCommercial (NC): You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
  • NoDerivatives (ND): If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.

Learn more about Creative Commons  licensing.