BARBADIAN STUDENTS' ATTITUDES TOWARDS INCLUDING PEERS WITH DISABILITIES IN REGULAR EDUCATION

The purpose of this study was to investigate students' attitudes towards the inclusion of peers with disabilities in Barbados. This research is quantitative and utilizes the Chedoke-McMasters Attitude towards Children with Handicap Scale (CATCH) to collect attitudinal data on a cross section of Barbadian students. The findings suggest that many students did not have contact with peers with disabilities and less than half of students sampled reported having a friend with a disability. The main hypothesis of the study, that students and young adults who had either a personal friend or a friend at school with a disability would report higher scores was supported. The hypothesis that females would report higher scores on all CATCH domain was only supported on the cognitive domain. Age was found to have a small effect on CATCH scores, but clear differences in the mean scores of children 7-12 years, teenagers 13-18 years old and young adults ages 18 and over were supported in this study. The implications of this research suggest that teachers must create more opportunities for meaningful direct contact between peers with and without disabilities that will lead to even better attitudes and pro-social behaviors in inclusive settings.