Changing educational counsellors' attitudes toward mental retardation: comparison of two measurement techniques.
As attitudes toward the disabled and ways of changing them have been the focus of intensive research, questions have arisen to the appropriate intervention strategies to the various target populations (most of them professionals). Contradictory reports on success of change bring up the subject of measurement techniques. Almost all the studies have used the "pre-test-post-test" comparison. In the present study an alternative technique, Howard's retrospective pre-test-post comparison, has been compared to the traditional approach. Howard argues that in the traditional approach a response shift bias influences the responses in intervention strategies such as training or treatment. Attitude change toward mental retardation has been measured on students before, after and "after retrospective" a course in special education planned to improve their attitudes. A special program was conducted in order to develop emotional acceptance and empathy as well as to provide information. Jordan's Attitudes Behaviour Scale has been used. Comparison of the experimental and control groups using the two measurement techniques show that change has been found only by using Howard's technique. Results may give explanation to the somewhat contradictory results reported in recent studies as well as the effectiveness of the planned intervention.
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics