Children's attitudes towards peers with learning disabilities - the role of perceived parental behaviour, contact experiences and self-efficacy beliefs

Children with special educational needs often feel lonely in classrooms, are less accepted by their classmates and have fewer friendships. Their classmates' positive attitudes towards them are important for their social participation in inclusive classrooms. According to the theory of social referencing, children's attitudes towards peers with special educational needs are influenced by the role model behaviour of their parents. Therefore, we examined the relevance of children's perceptions of parental behaviour in terms of their attitudes towards peers with learning disabilities. This was done by investigating N = 753 children's attitudes, depending on their perceptions of parental behaviour towards peers with special educational needs, their contact experiences and their self-efficacy beliefs concerning their interpersonal skills. The results indicate that their attitudes are predicted by their perceptions of parental behaviour, their contact experiences and their self-efficacy beliefs. The effect of perceived parental behaviour on children's attitudes is mediated by their self-efficacy beliefs.