School of Education and Behavioral Sciences Poster Winner! (Tie with #8)
Contact with and Attitudes Towards Individuals with Physical Disabilities Among Undergraduates, Armendariz, Victoria
School of Education and Behavioral Science
Professor: Dr. Renata Nero
The purpose of this study was to observe the relationship between contact with and attitudes towards individuals with physical disabilities (IWPD) among undergraduates. Additional \individual characteristics were also observed in this relationship. The study was done using a correlational design. The 105 participants were undergraduates from Houston Baptist University and were recruited through a convenience sampling method. The sample was demographically diverse, with 16% Asian American, 21% African American, 21% Hispanic or Latino, 35% Caucasian, and 7% classifying themselves under “other. The measures used were a demographic questionnaire, the Contact with Disabled Persons (CDP) Scale, and the Attitude Toward Disabled Persons Scale, Form O (ATDP-O). The hypotheses predicted there would be a significant relationship between encounters with IWPDs and a positive attitude towards
IWDPs, classification and positive attitudes, encounters with IWPDs and acceptance, requiring physical assistance due to injury or illness and positive attitudes, and importance of religion in one’s life and positive attitudes. A Spearman’s rho and Pearson’s was used for statistical analysis. There was a slight positive correlation between contact and attitude toward IWPDs using a Pearson’s analysis. Results are discussed regarding implications of findings,limitations of the study, and suggestions for further research.
