Attitudes of parents of typically developing children towards school inclusion: the role of personality variables and positive descriptions

Attitudes of parents of typically developing children (TDC) towards school inclusion have been neglected by researchers. This study characterises the attitudes of parents of TDC towards school inclusion of a child with some type of disability. The research also analyses the impact of the type of disability and of the neutral or positive description of the child with a disability. The associations between parental attitudes and the Big Five personality dimensions are examined. The attitudes of 360 parents of TDC were assessed through the survey Children with Difficulties at School. The NEO Five Factor Inventory was also used. Parents tended to demonstrate neutral attitudes towards the inclusion of children with some kind of disability. Attitudes were more positive towards children with Hearing Impairment than towards children with Down syndrome or Behaviour Disorder; parental attitudes were also more positive when the child with a disability was described in a way that stressed his/her abilities. Small but statistically significant associations were found between personality dimensions and parental attitudes. The results suggest that disabilities should be portrayed in a positive manner.