Promoting the social acceptance of young children with moderate-severe intellectual disabilities using cooperative-learning techniques.
The effects of a cooperative-learning program on the social acceptance of children with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities by young children without disabilities were examined. Children without disabilities were assigned to a cooperative-learning program or a social-contact program involved with the special class children or to a control (no classroom contact) condition. Significant pretest-posttest changes over a 10-week period in the cooperative-learning context indicated that children without disabilities gave the special class children higher peer acceptance ratings, greater popularity indices, and lower social-distance ratings. There were also more frequent interactions with the children without disabilities. These changes did not occur in either the social-contact or the control groups.
Piercy
Maureen
M
University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Wilton
Keri
K
Townsend
Michael
M
D002648:Child; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004495:Education of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D008282:Mainstreaming, Education; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011287:Prejudice; D012929:Psychological Distance; D012919:Social Behavior; D012933:Social Identification; D012963:Sociometric Techniques