Changing Children’s Attitudes to Disability through Music: A Learning Intervention by Young Disabled Mentors
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Literature Review
1.2. Conceptual Framework
1.3. The Study
- To determine the impact on pupil’s attitudes to disability, following 16 hours of music workshops co-facilitated by young disabled mentors.
- To obtain teachers’ and parents’ views on the effectiveness of the intervention.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Project Sparks
- Outlining the learning outcomes associated with each classroom activity;
- Role-modelling success in music composition and performance;
- Facilitating group work with pupils to advance their experimentations with the musical building blocks and foster sharing of ideas;
- Providing pupils with praise and constructive feedback to improve their compositions;
- Answering questions about their disability during informal chat sessions.
2.2. Participants
2.3. Evaluation
3. Results
3.1. Pupils’ Perceptions of Disability
3.2. Perceptions of Teacher with Disabilities
3.3. Parents’ Responses
3.4. Teachers’ Responses
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
- de Boer, A.; Pijl, S.J.; Pos, T.W.; Minnaer, T.A. Which variables relate to the attitudes of teachers, parents and peers towards students with special educational needs in regular education? Educ. Stud. 2012, 38, 433–448. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Freer, J.R. Students’ attitudes toward disability: A systematic literature review (2012–2019). Int. J. Incl. Educ. 2021, 8, 1–9. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Corr, C.; Santos, R.M. Abuse and young children with disabilities: A review of the literature. J. Early Intervention 2017, 39, 3–17. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- United Nations. The Convention on the Rights of the Child; United Nations: New York, NY, USA, 1990. [Google Scholar]
- Van Mieghem, A.; Verschueren, K.; Petry, K.; Struyf, E. An analysis of research on inclusive education: A systematic search and meta review. Int. J. Incl. Education 2020, 11, 675–689. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Dell’Anna, S.; Pellegrini, M.; Ianes, D.; Vivanet, G. Learning, social, and psychological outcomes of students with moderate, severe, and complex disabilities in inclusive education: A systematic review. Int. J. Disabil. Dev. Educ. 2020, 15, 1–7. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lautenbach, F.; Heyder, A. Changing attitudes to inclusion in preservice teacher education: A systematic review. Educ. Res. 2019, 61, 231–253. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lindsay, S.; Edwards, A. A systematic review of disability awareness interventions for children and youth. Disabil. Rehabil. 2013, 35, 623–646. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Chae, S.; Park, E.Y.; Shin, M. School-based interventions for improving disability awareness and attitudes towards disability of students without disabilities: A meta-analysis. Int. J. Disabil. Dev. Educ. 2019, 66, 343–361. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ramiah, A.A.; Hewstone, M. Intergroup contact as a tool for reducing, resolving, and preventing intergroup conflict: Evidence, limitations, and potential. Am. Psychol. 2013, 68, 527–542. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Edwards, K. The interplay of affect and cognition in attitude formation and change. J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 1990, 59, 202–216. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Boster, J.B.; Spitzley, A.M.; Castle, T.W.; Jewell, A.R.; Corso, C.L.; McCarthy, J.W. Music improves social and participation outcomes for individuals with communication disorders: A systematic review. J. Music Ther. 2021, 58, 12–42. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- de Witte, M.; Spruit, A.; van Hooren, S.; Moonen, X.; Stams, G.J. Effects of music interventions on stress-related outcomes: A systematic review and two meta-analyses. Health Psychol. Rev. 2020, 14, 294–324. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Nowicki, E.A.; Sandieson, R. A meta-analysis of school-age children’s attitudes towards persons with physical or intellectual disabilities. Int. J. Disabil. Dev. Educ. 2002, 49, 246–265. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Armstrong, M.; Morris, C.; Abraham, C.; Tarrant, M. Interventions utilising contact with people with disabilities to improve children’s attitudes towards disability: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Disabil. Health J. 2017, 10, 11–22. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
- Armstrong, M.; Morris, C.; Abraham, C.; Ukoumunne, O.C.; Tarrant, M. Children’s contact with people with disabilities and their attitudes towards disability: A cross-sectional study. Disabil. Rehabil. 2016, 38, 879–888. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Braun, V.; Clarke, V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual. Res. Psychol. 2006, 3, 77–101. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- De Boer, A.; Pijl, S.O.; Minnaert, A. Attitudes of Parents towards Inclusive Education: A Review of the Literature. Eur. J. Spec. Needs Educ. 2010, 25, 165–181. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hassan, N.A. Re-voicing: Community choir participation as a medium for identity formation amongst people with learning disabilities. Int. J. Community Music 2017, 10, 207–225. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Giagazoglou, P.; Papadaniil, M. Effects of a storytelling program with drama techniques to understand and accept intellectual disability in students 6–7 years old. A pilot study. Adv. Phys. Educ. 2018, 8, 224–237. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Pérez-Torralba, A.; Reina, R.; Pastor-Vicedo, J.C.; González-Víllora, S. Education intervention using para-sports for athletes with high support needs to improve attitudes towards students with disabilities in Physical Education. Eur. J. Spec. Needs Educ. 2019, 34, 455–468. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Items (The Words ‘African’ or ‘Disabled’ were Inserted) | Disabled Child Before | Disabled Child After | African Child Before | African Child After |
---|---|---|---|---|
I would enjoy having a ___child in my class. | 64.7% | 87.0% | 80.6% | 86.2% |
I would be pleased if a ____child invited me to play with him or her at school. | 77.0% | 87.0% | 80.0% | 86.2% |
I would feel good doing a school project with a ____child. | 72.4% | 85.3% | 85.3% | 88.7% |
I would try to stop people in my school making fun of a ____child. | 97.6% | 95.1% | 95.9% | 95.9% |
(African) Children (with disabilities) can do just as well at school as (Irish) children (with no disabilities). | 81.2% | 88.7% | 84.8% | 93.5% |
If a ____ child was feeling left out, I would ask them to join in. | 94.5% | 96.8% | 94.1% | 96.7% |
I would invite a ____ child to come to my house to play. | 60.6% | 67.4% | 63.6% | 65.9% |
I would know what to say to (African) children (with disabilities). | 43.5% | 59.4% | 69.4% | 73.2% |
I would feel afraid of having a (African) child (with disabilities) in my class. | 82.3% | 89.4% | 87.1% | 84.6% |
Disabled Child Before | Disabled Child After | African Child Before | African Child After |
---|---|---|---|
37.03 (4.83) | 38.83 (4.57) | 38.42 (4.81) | 39.07 (4.65) |
Item | % Before | % After |
---|---|---|
I would be pleased if a person with disabilities lived next door to me. | 65.3% | 85.3% |
I would be happy to sit beside a disabled person on the bus or train. | 55.3% | 78.1% |
I would go to a hairdresser or barber who was disabled. | 41.8% | 58.5% |
I would help a disabled person to cross the road. | 97.1% | 95.9% |
I would be afraid to talk to a person with a disability. | 74.7% | 80.5% |
Items | Before | After |
---|---|---|
What kind of teacher would you imagine a disabled person being? % rated excellent | 22.8% | 52.0% |
How smart or stupid do you imagine disabled people to be? | 7.65 (1.95) | 9.16 (1.59) |
How musically talented or not talented do you think disabled people are? | 7.87 (2.13) | 9.74 (0.66) |
How much would you want a disabled person to teach you? | 6.48 (2.57) | 9.40 (1.33) |
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. |
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
McCarron, E.; Curran, E.; McConkey, R. Changing Children’s Attitudes to Disability through Music: A Learning Intervention by Young Disabled Mentors. Disabilities 2022, 2, 87-95. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities2010008
McCarron E, Curran E, McConkey R. Changing Children’s Attitudes to Disability through Music: A Learning Intervention by Young Disabled Mentors. Disabilities. 2022; 2(1):87-95. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities2010008
Chicago/Turabian StyleMcCarron, Eamonn, Erica Curran, and Roy McConkey. 2022. "Changing Children’s Attitudes to Disability through Music: A Learning Intervention by Young Disabled Mentors" Disabilities 2, no. 1: 87-95. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities2010008