Are student teachers' perceptions of children with severe learning difficulties more positive after coursework or with greater previous contact?

Details

Teachers' perceptions of their pupils are likely to have significant effects on children's performance and self-concepts. Previous research on expectations of, and attitudes towards, pupils with severe learning difficulties (SLD) has generally found that teachers perceive these children less positively than nondisabled children. Education- or information-based approaches are among the methods practitioners and researchers have used to influence teachers' perceptions of children with SLD.

In this comparative questionnaire study, 100 female student teachers completed questionnaires measuring their attributions, expectations, behavioural intentions and emotional responses to children with SLD. The study compared perceptions among students who had completed the Special Educational Needs (SEN) module of their training course and those who had not yet completed it, and examined differences associated with previous contact with children with SLD.

There were very few differences in perceptions between students who had completed the SEN module and those who had not yet completed it. However, students with higher levels of previous contact with children with SLD were generally more positive than those with little or no previous experience.

The paper discusses the implications of these findings for teacher training in SEN. It also highlights methodological implications for research evaluating mainstreaming and for other research that measures teachers' perceptions of children.