Effects of teachers' backgrounds and perspectives of disability stigma on efforts to address stigma in the classroom
Date
2019
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Stigmatization of students with disabilities is related to a variety of adverse long-term effects and many teachers experience challenges implementing empirically-based practices to address this stigma. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that predict teachers’ efforts to address stigma in the classroom and barriers to implementing such efforts. The relationships between teachers’ backgrounds, personal attitudes towards students with disabilities, awareness of public stigma of students with disabilities, and use of empirically-based practices to increase acceptance in their classrooms, as well as teachers’ perceived barriers to implementing these practices were investigated through collection of self-report survey data from currently practicing teachers. Several of the measures were adapted from empirically-based scales (e.g. Placement and Services Survey, ADHD Stigma Questionnaire, Barriers to Implementing Evidence-Based Interventions in the Classroom Survey), whereas the measure on attempts to address stigma was developed originally. To pilot test the measures, 142 participants recruited through a large school district completed the survey electronically and correlational, item, and Rasch analysis were conducted to revise the scales. Subsequently, 330 additional participants from the same school district completed the finalized survey measures. Descriptive analysis revealed that 90 percent of teachers reported attempts to address stigma, with social contact based practices being most frequently endorsed. Correlational, multiple regression, and path analyses indicated significantly different predictors of attempts to address stigma for elementary, secondary, and overall teachers. Predictors were personal in nature for elementary teachers (i.e., pre-service education and personal attitudes), and involved school-wide factors for secondary teachers (i.e., school-wide percent of special education students and level of integration into general education classes). When combined, teachers’ use of practices was predicted by their placement in general as compared to special education classes and the presence of personal relationships with individuals with disabilities. Additionally, correlational analysis revealed that school-wide initiatives and teachers’ involvement therein were related to teachers’ attempts to address stigma in their own classes. Finally, descriptive analysis indicated that the most commonly reported barriers to implementing empirically-based practices to address stigma included constraints of time, materials, class size, and feeling overwhelmed. Overall, this study revealed that there are distinct factors that may be utilized to predict teachers’ attempts to address stigma. The implications of these findings for school psychologists, administrators, and educational institutions in providing the appropriate support for teachers to successfully implement strategies to reduce stigma are discussed.