Modifying Undergraduates' Attitudes Toward the Handicapped By Videotapes

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if undergraduates' attitudes toward the handicapped could be positively modified by observing videotapes of handicapped children. Fifty-two special education and non-special education majors enrolled in an introductory special education course were randomly assigned to either an experimental group that observed videotapes of handicapped children or a control group that did not. The Attitude Toward Disabled Persons Scale (ATDP) and the Handicapped Subscale of the Special Vocational Needs Attitude Scale (SVNH) were used as pre-test and posttest measures. Experimental-group subjects had significantly more positive attitudes toward the handicapped as measured by the ATDP. A significant interaction of treatment and academic major on attitudes toward the handicapped, as measured by the SVNH, indicated that the treatment was differentially effective for special education majors and non-special education majors.

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