The relationship between attitudes to the integration of children with special educational needs and wider socio‐political views; a US‐English comparison

Abstract

This study of educators’ attitudes to the integration of those with special educational needs in ordinary schools and classes took place in rural and urban areas of Pennsylvania, USA and Northamptonshire, England. The aim was to investigate and compare the relationships of integration attitudes to political outlook, socio‐political views, identification with those with disabilities, contact with disability and professional position. Integration attitudes were mildly positive in both countries and were weakly related to political outlook and socio‐political views. Direct contact with disability was also associated with more positive integration attitudes for those with more right‐wing outlooks. In the English sample, integration attitudes were more positive and more related to socio‐political views, by comparison with the US sample in which only professional position related independently to integration attitudes. These findings are discussed in terms of an interactionist perspective, and related to differences of special education provision in the two study areas and possible cultural differences.