Teachers' interpersonal style and its relationship to emotions, causal attributions, and type of challenging behaviors displayed by students with intellectual disabilities.
Teachers' interpersonal style is a new field of research in the study of students with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviors in school context. In the present study, we investigate emotions and causal attributions of three basic types of challenging behaviors: aggression, stereotypy, and self-injury, in relation to teachers' interpersonal style. One hundred and seventy seven Greek general and special educator teachers participated in the study by completing a three-scaled questionnaire. Statistical analysis revealed that the type of challenging behaviors affected causal attributions. According to regression analysis, emotions, teaching experience, expertise in special education, and gender explained a significant amount of variance in interpersonal style. Emotions were found to have a mediating role in the relationship between causal attributions and interpersonal style of "willingness to support," when challenging behaviors were attributed to stable causes or causes under the control of the individual with intellectual disabilities.
University of Western Macedonia, Greece alevriadou@uowm.gr.
Anastasia
A
Alevriadou
University of Western Macedonia, Greece.
Kyriaki
K
Pavlidou
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004495:Education of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000066553:Problem Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000070777:School Teachers / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
causal attributions; challenging behaviors; intellectual disabilities; interpersonal style; teachers