Faculty attitudes toward students with disabilities at a Southern HBCU

Keno L Worthy, Tennessee State University

Abstract

The purpose of the study, to investigate faculty attitudes toward students with disabilities at a Southern HBCU during the 2011-2012 academic year. The study was designed to examine differences or relationships between faculty attitudes towards students with disabilities using the Interaction with Disabled Persons Scale (IDP) survey. In addition, quasi-experimental variables were examined to determine whether or not IDP scale scores varied as a function of variables such as gender, age, years of teaching experience, the various colleges, faculty rank, and prior experience in accommodating students with disabilities in the classroom. The data of the current study have implications for other institutions of higher education to the extent that it addresses the potential of intervention methods that relate to the topic of faculty attitudes toward students with disabilities in higher education. The sample of the current study consisted of 162 faculty members from various colleges within a Southern HBCU. The survey included the IDP as well as a demographic background and experience questionnaire consisting of 27 items. A total of six research questions were drawn to determine whether relationships existed between IDP subscales and demographic/experience variables and whether differences in IDP subscale scores existed across the demographic/experience variables. The major findings of the current study were as follows: (a) the majority of the participants reported no discomfort with students with disabilities within various colleges at a Southern HBCU; (b) statistically significant differences and/or relationships were found concerning participants' attitudes toward students with disabilities involving various colleges and gender; and (c) no statistically significant differences or relationships were found between age, years of teaching experience, rank, and prior experience accommodating students with disabilities involving faculty attitudes as measured by the IDP.

Subject Area

Higher Education Administration|Special education|Higher education

Recommended Citation

Keno L Worthy, "Faculty attitudes toward students with disabilities at a Southern HBCU" (2013). ETD Collection for Tennessee State University. Paper AAI3587522.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI3587522

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