Fri, 2012-06-22 14:17 | 
Abstract
The current trend in children’s education is to provide a school community that includes all students, despite different abilities, ethnicity or socioeconomic status. In order to reach this target it is necessary teachers as well as students to be prepared, for the inclusion of children with disabilities in the mainstream classroom. Positive attitudes toward disabilities, not only from teachers but students as well are a fundamental factor for providing an inclusion program (Lewis, 1995; Padeliadu, 1997; Peterson, 2004; Bunch & Valeo, 2005; Laws & Kelly, 2005). Children’s books can be a useful tool for teachers’ attempts to increase children’s acceptance of previously segregated students (Guddigan & Hanson, 1988). Many researchers have stressed the fact that children’s books which refer to disabilities (inclusion literature), are an inexpensive, amusing and authentic way, of promoting awareness, understanding and acceptance of disabilities (Baskin & Harris, 1984; Cuddigan & Hanson, 1988; Kupper, 1994). For that reason, we have investigated how selected children’s literature book about disability can be incorporated in school curriculum in order to inform and sensitize students about the topic of disability.
This research is a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. It is a semi-experimental design.
The aim is twofold: a) the assessment of students’ awareness about disabilities and the investigation of their attitudes towards a peer with disability and b) the implementation of an intervention programme in order to increase students’ awareness and understanding about disability.
Ph.D Candidate:
Marina Louari
Department:
Department of Primary Education
School:
School of Humanities
Supervisor:
Marita Paparousi (mpaparou@pre.uth.gr)
Supervising Committee:
(1)Amanda Pfilippatou (2)Suzana Pandeliadou (3) Marita Paparousi Παραδοτέα έργου δημοσίως προσβάσιμα:
