This study is to research high school students' attitude towards children with disabilities. This study looks at whether high school students have volunteer experience or not with disabled children, and it tests the hypothesis that volunteer activitie...
This study is to research high school students' attitude towards children with disabilities. This study looks at whether high school students have volunteer experience or not with disabled children, and it tests the hypothesis that volunteer activities with the disabled will give positive attitude toward the disabled.
A questionnaire was given to 240 students in 4 normal high school of G-Eup, Gyeongnam. Students were divided in to two groups by gender and grade level. 50% of students in those groups had previous volunteer experience, and 50% of students had no previous volunteer experience with disabled children. The questionnaire asked students 4 questions: students' general attitude towards disabled people, students' attitude toward effectiveness of volunteer work, students' attitude toward integrated education, and students' attitude toward volunteer work. The items in the questionnaire were taken from Likert's five-point scales. "Two-Way ANOVA" was conducted to analyze the opinions of the students. The results are as follows:
First, attitude toward the disabled by normal high school students with volunteer experience is more positive and open. Girls' attitude toward the disabled is better and more positive than that of boys. Students who have volunteer experience and a positive attitude toward the disabled gain better insight into their own self-awareness and self-confidence.
Second, among the students with volunteer experience with the disabled, the attitude of the seniors is more positive and open than that of the sophomores. The correlation between attitude toward the disabled volunteer experience and grade level shows a statistically significant result. Older students who have volunteer experience with the disabled show more positive attitudes towards the disabled.
From the results of this study, I'd like to suggest the following:
First, nationwide research about high school students' volunteer work with the disabled is needed. This study was only done with normal high school students in G-Eup, Gyeongnam.
Second, in order to prepare more desirable integrated education, more programs and education need to be activated for high school students to experience volunteer work with the disable. Programs and education that give high school students experience working with the disabled can help to influence high school students' attitudes toward the disabled.