The purpose of this study is to verify the effects on children without disabilities' emotional competence and attitude of accepting children with disabilities when carrying out peer-helper activity program at inclusive class, and to apply this to the ...
The purpose of this study is to verify the effects on children without disabilities' emotional competence and attitude of accepting children with disabilities when carrying out peer-helper activity program at inclusive class, and to apply this to the field of inclusive education. Accordingly, the hypotheses of this study were established as follows.
First, the peer-helper activity within inclusive class will enhance children without disabilities' emotional competence.
Second, the peer-helper activity within inclusive class will enhance children without disabilities' attitude of accepting children with disabilities.
To verify the hypotheses of this study, the experimental group was set for 20 children without disabilities for one class in the 5th grade to which one child with physical disability belongs among inclusive classes at J elementary school, where is located in Cheongju city of Chungcheongbuk-do Province. The control group was selected 20 children without disabilities for one class in the same grade in which a child with disability is not included. Test tools, which were used in a study, include the emotional intelligence diagnosis test for high graders of elementary school that Kim Su-yeon(2002) used, and the scale in the attitude of accepting children with disabilities(Kim Ji-yeong, 2008).
The experimental group was experienced peer-helper activity program for 16 weeks from March 26, 2010 to July 17. Peer-helper activity is the one that a child without disability helps a child with disability with class life. The program consists of the education of understanding children with disabilities, the practice of helper activity, the record of helper's diary, and teacher's feedback. As for peer-helper activity, the whole class children except a child with disability experienced helper activity by one week with 1 team of two persons. The control group wasn't treated anything.
Data analysis was carried out t-test, which is verification of the mean difference, in the significant level of .05, by using SPSS 12.0 statistical program. Homogeneity was confirmed between experimental group and control group in the pre-test. In the post-test, the effects of peer-helper activity program within inclusive class was confirmed.
Examining the findings, they are as follows.
First, examining the effects of peer-helper activity on children without disabilities' emotional competence, as a result of post-test on emotional competence, the average of experimental group, which carried out peer-helper activity, wasn't enhanced statistically and significantly more than the average of control group, which didn't carry out peer-helper activity. Thus, hypothesis wasn't positive. However, among 5 elements in emotional recognition, emotional expression, empathy, emotional regulation, and emotional application that are sub-elements of emotional competence, the empathy showed significant difference in significant level of .05. This result implies that the empathy ability gets higher out of children without disabilities' emotional competence when carrying out peer-helper activity program.
Second, examining the effects of peer-helper activity on children without disabilities' attitude of accepting children with disabilities, as a result of post-test on attitude of accepting children with disabilities, the average of experimental group was indicated to be higher than control group, and was statistically significant. Thus, hypothesis was positive. In all the sub-spheres of the attitude of accepting children with disabilities, namely, of attitude toward friendship, attitude toward living, and attitude toward learning, all showed significant difference in significant level of .01. This implies that the peer-helper activity program enhanced positively children without disabilities' attitude of accepting children with disabilities.
In conclusion, the experience of peer-helper activity within inclusive class has emotional effect on improvement in empathy of children without disabilities, and increases children without disabilities' attitude of accepting children with disabilities, thereby being expected to be conducive to acquiring technique of proceeding with living together with the disabled and to having human nature necessary for future society that has a sense of responsibility and community.