Review article
THE ROLE OF GENDER IN CHILDREN’S ATTITUDES TOWARDS PUPILS WITH DISABILITIES
Fatbardha Osmanaga
; University of Shkodra
Abstract
The inclusion of people with disabilities is one of the top priorities in our country, as is the case with many other developed countries in the West. A very important aspect of the inclusion is the attitude of individuals towards disability. The paper aims to explore the attitudes of pupils toward their disabled peers, and to analyse the influence of pupils’ gender on their attitudes toward their peers with disabilities.
The measuring instrument was the CATCH questionnaire (Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes toward Children with Handicaps). Pupils of the fifth, sixth and seventh grade of schools in the Shkodër, Lezhë, Kukës and Dibër cities in the northern part of Albania have completed the CATCH test. In addition, the technique of interviewing teachers (focus-groups) in public schools where the pupils with disabilities are integrated is employed. The purpose was to collect pupils’ opinions about their disabled peers and to identify the problems that teachers encounter in the process of teaching in these classes.
The appropriate conclusions and suggestions are proposed. The pupils’ attitude towards their peers with disabilities is positive, but there is still a lot to be done. The affective and behavioural components of the attitude of the pupils towards their peers with disabilities are favourable, whereas the cognitive component is not favourable. The gender of the pupils influences the general attitude and the results of affective and behavioural component of pupils’ attitude towards their peers with disabilities. Female pupils have a more positive attitude towards their peers with disabilities than male pupils. Female pupils have a higher average of points for the affective and behavioural components of the attitude than male pupils. It is necessary to consider certain recommendations so that the process of inclusive education could be carried out completely.
Keywords
attitude; gender; disability; CATCH test
Hrčak ID:
121531
URI
Publication date:
13.6.2013.
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