Special Class Placements as Labels: Effects on Children's Attitudes toward Learning Handicapped Peers

Abstract

This study determined whether different types of special education placements affected children's attitudes toward learning handicapped peers in a school where no clinical labels were used. Traditionally these peers would have been labeled “learning disabled” and “educable mentally retarded.” Seventy-seven fourth- through sixth-graders judged the capabilities of peers depicted in written vignettes as attending one of two types of placement: a resource room or a special classroom. These placements were identical to those found in the children's school. Children saw resource room targets as significantly more capable than special class targets. This indicated that educational placements alone could act as de facto labels. Older children were found to have higher expectations of peers regardless of placement. Implications for teachers and researchers were discussed.