Social Distance Towards Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Education

• Published in: International journal of disability, development, and education Vol. 70; no. 1; pp. 106 - 119
• Main Authors: Kovačević, Jasmina, Radovanovic, Vesna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 02.01.2023; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Age Differences; Autism; Bogardus scale; Children; Closeness; degree of closeness; Disability; discrimination; Early Adolescents; Elementary School Students; Elementary schools; Foreign Countries; Gender Differences; Inclusive education; Interaction; Peer Relationship; Peer relationships; prejudice; Social Distance; Social interaction; Social relations; Special education; Student Attitudes; Students; Students with Disabilities; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Willingness; Serbia
• ISSN: 1034-912X; 1465-346X
• DOI: 10.1080/1034912X.2020.1856349

Social distance is operationalized as the willingness of respondents of the general population to engage in direct, immediate, reciprocal social interactions with persons of another group and to achieve a degree of closeness through these interactions. The aim of this study was to examine the willingness of students with typical development to accept a certain type of social relations with peers with disabilities in inclusive education, as well as the association of gender and age differences in social distance with the type of disability. A modified Bogardus social distance scale was used for research purposes. The sample consisted of students with typical development sand their peers with disabilities (N-398), aged from 7 to 15 years of age who attend inclusive primary schools on the territory of the Republic of Serbia. The results of the study showed that students with typical development do not generally reject social contacts with their peers with disabilities, as shown by the overall lower social distance, but social distance grew in areas of emotional and physical closeness. Students expressed the highest social distance toward peers with autism, while the lowest social distance was manifested towards peers with sensory impairments. Gender and age differences were confirmed. The girls expressed lower social distance, as did the students of higher school age (from 11 to 15 years of age).