ERIC Number: EJ1376875
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1034-912X
EISSN: EISSN-1465-346X
Social Distance towards Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Education
Kovacevic, Jasmina; Radovanovic, Vesna
International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, v70 n1 p106-119 2023
Social distance is operationalized as the willingness of respondents of the general population to engage in direct, immediate, reciprocal social interactions with persons of another group and to achieve a degree of closeness through these interactions. The aim of this study was to examine the willingness of students with typical development to accept a certain type of social relations with peers with disabilities in inclusive education, as well as the association of gender and age differences in social distance with the type of disability. A modified Bogardus social distance scale was used for research purposes. The sample consisted of students with typical development sand their peers with disabilities (N-398), aged from 7 to 15 years of age who attend inclusive primary schools on the territory of the Republic of Serbia. The results of the study showed that students with typical development do not generally reject social contacts with their peers with disabilities, as shown by the overall lower social distance, but social distance grew in areas of emotional and physical closeness. Students expressed the highest social distance toward peers with autism, while the lowest social distance was manifested towards peers with sensory impairments. Gender and age differences were confirmed. The girls expressed lower social distance, as did the students of higher school age (from 11 to 15 years of age).
Descriptors: Social Distance, Interaction, Students with Disabilities, Student Attitudes, Peer Relationship, Elementary School Students, Children, Early Adolescents, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Gender Differences, Age Differences, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Serbia
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Bogardus Social Distance Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A