The Attitudes of Business/Office Educators Toward Handicapped Persons and Mainstreaming.

Abstract

Purposes of the Study. The purposes of this study were: (1) to explore the attitudes of business and office educators toward handicapped youths and mainstreaming, (2) to attempt to identify factors related to these attitudes, (3) to determine if there were a relationship between the teachers' attitudes toward handicapped individuals and the teachers' attitudes toward mainstreaming, and (4) to explore the educational implications of these findings. Methodology. To obtain the necessary data for drawing conclusions relative to the purposes of this study, a survey instrument was administered to 167 business and office educators within four public school districts. These included Battle Creek, Detroit, Gr and Rapids, and Kalamazoo. All are located in the State of Michigan. The survey instrument was divided into seven sections and included two attitudinal scales, the Attitude Toward Mainstreaming Scale and the Bogardus Social Distance Scale. Collection of Data. The data included in this study were collected during the months of November and December of the 1978-79 school year. A total of 115 usuable questionnaires were returned. This represented 69 percent of the 167 forms distributed. Analysis of Data. Statistical analysis of data was based on analyses of variance, correlation coefficients, chi square, and pairwise t tests. Any observable differences were considered to be statistically significant at the .05 level. Findings. A summation of the more significant findings reveals: The business and office educators who participated in this study were found to be accepting both of handicapped persons and mainstreaming. There was a significant relationship between scores received on the ATMS and attitudes toward the deaf. The business and office educators in this study were more willing to accept handicapped persons as either neighbors, coworkers, or close friends than they were to teach them. Study participants appeared to be least willing to teach students who are either blind, deaf, or mentally impaired. The size of the teaching load significantly affected the attitudes of the study participants. The attitudes of the subjects employed in Battle Creek were significantly more positive than those of the subjects in the other school districts. There was an insignificant tendency of study participants who have received in-service training to be less accepting of the handicapped.