ORGANIZATIONAL SPACE AND ATTITUDES TOWARD SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSES (SEPARATION, SEGREGATION, MAINSTREAMING, HANDICAPPED)
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the extent of separation of special and general education classes with respect to the objective data regarding geographic, functional, status, and power separation provided by special education teachers and principals, respectively. Moreover, the investigation intended to determine the perceptions of principals, special education teachers and special education supervisors with respect to the extent of separation of special and general education classes according to the data concerning functional, status, and power separation and their attitudes toward the handicapped. This study applied the organizational space theory developed by Katz and Kahn (1978). The extent of separation was measured by the Organizational Space Survey, an original instrument developed by the researcher. Attitudes toward the handicapped were measured by the Attitudes Toward Mainstreaming Scale (J. D. Berryman et al., 1983). The sample of 35 principals, 35 special education teachers and 19 special education supervisors was randomly selected from public schools and the researcher personally visited each school to collect the data. One-way analysis of variance for unequal cells and independent groups was computed to analyze the mean differences. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were computed to determine significant relationships. The major findings of this study were: (1) The objective data revealed that the special education classes were significantly separate from the general education classes with respect to geography, function, status, and power. (2) Principals perceived the special education classes as rarely or never separate from the general education classes, while special education teachers and supervisors perceived the special education classes as rarely or sometimes separate from the general education classes. (3) There were no significant differences in the attitudes of principals, special education teachers and supervisors toward the handicapped.
Subject Area
Special education
Recommended Citation
KELLER, EDITH LENA, "ORGANIZATIONAL SPACE AND ATTITUDES TOWARD SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSES (SEPARATION, SEGREGATION, MAINSTREAMING, HANDICAPPED)" (1986). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8624487.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8624487
