Students' attitudes towards peers with autism in Singapore mainstream secondary Schools : effects of direct contact, knowledge and school goal structure

Inclusive education has been a growing focus across the world and Singapore is no exception. While progress has been made towards a more inclusive society in Singapore, considerable challenges still remain. In particular, the existing values and views towards individuals with special needs must be c...

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Main Author: Lee, Randall Zhisheng
Other Authors: Annabel Chen Shen-Hsing
Format: Final Year Project (FYP)
Language:English
Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/148748
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author Lee, Randall Zhisheng
author2 Annabel Chen Shen-Hsing
author_facet Annabel Chen Shen-Hsing
Lee, Randall Zhisheng
author_sort Lee, Randall Zhisheng
collection NTU
description Inclusive education has been a growing focus across the world and Singapore is no exception. While progress has been made towards a more inclusive society in Singapore, considerable challenges still remain. In particular, the existing values and views towards individuals with special needs must be changed. Given that the number of students with special needs attending mainstream schools is increasing, it is important for us to understand the perspectives of major stakeholders. Specifically, this study investigated the social inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorder in mainstream secondary schools in Singapore, from the perspectives of typically developing students. The aim of the study was to explore the influence of direct contact, knowledge about autism and school goal structure on Singapore secondary school students’ attitudes towards peers with autism. Sixty-eight students from mainstream secondary schools participated in the study. Participants completed an online questionnaire measuring their attitudes, the frequency of direct contact with a peer who has autism, the quality of their direct contact experiences, their knowledge about autism, and their perceptions of school goal structure. Findings suggest that students’ attitudes are influenced by the quality of direct contact experiences rather than the frequency, as well as their knowledge about autism. This has crucial implications for inclusive education in Singapore moving forward. Further research is necessary to better understand the factors that impact the social inclusion of students with special needs in Singapore mainstream schools.
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spelling ntu-10356/1487482023-03-05T15:43:49Z Students' attitudes towards peers with autism in Singapore mainstream secondary Schools : effects of direct contact, knowledge and school goal structure Lee, Randall Zhisheng Annabel Chen Shen-Hsing School of Social Sciences Xie Huichao huichao.xie@nie.edu.sg Social sciences::General::Education Inclusive education has been a growing focus across the world and Singapore is no exception. While progress has been made towards a more inclusive society in Singapore, considerable challenges still remain. In particular, the existing values and views towards individuals with special needs must be changed. Given that the number of students with special needs attending mainstream schools is increasing, it is important for us to understand the perspectives of major stakeholders. Specifically, this study investigated the social inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorder in mainstream secondary schools in Singapore, from the perspectives of typically developing students. The aim of the study was to explore the influence of direct contact, knowledge about autism and school goal structure on Singapore secondary school students’ attitudes towards peers with autism. Sixty-eight students from mainstream secondary schools participated in the study. Participants completed an online questionnaire measuring their attitudes, the frequency of direct contact with a peer who has autism, the quality of their direct contact experiences, their knowledge about autism, and their perceptions of school goal structure. Findings suggest that students’ attitudes are influenced by the quality of direct contact experiences rather than the frequency, as well as their knowledge about autism. This has crucial implications for inclusive education in Singapore moving forward. Further research is necessary to better understand the factors that impact the social inclusion of students with special needs in Singapore mainstream schools. Bachelor of Arts in Psychology 2021-05-07T01:45:34Z 2021-05-07T01:45:34Z 2021 Final Year Project (FYP) Lee, R. Z. (2021). Students' attitudes towards peers with autism in Singapore mainstream secondary Schools : effects of direct contact, knowledge and school goal structure. Final Year Project (FYP), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/148748 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/148748 en Research Grant from Singapore Children's Society application/pdf Nanyang Technological University
spellingShingle Social sciences::General::Education
Lee, Randall Zhisheng
Students' attitudes towards peers with autism in Singapore mainstream secondary Schools : effects of direct contact, knowledge and school goal structure
title Students' attitudes towards peers with autism in Singapore mainstream secondary Schools : effects of direct contact, knowledge and school goal structure
title_full Students' attitudes towards peers with autism in Singapore mainstream secondary Schools : effects of direct contact, knowledge and school goal structure
title_fullStr Students' attitudes towards peers with autism in Singapore mainstream secondary Schools : effects of direct contact, knowledge and school goal structure
title_full_unstemmed Students' attitudes towards peers with autism in Singapore mainstream secondary Schools : effects of direct contact, knowledge and school goal structure
title_short Students' attitudes towards peers with autism in Singapore mainstream secondary Schools : effects of direct contact, knowledge and school goal structure
title_sort students attitudes towards peers with autism in singapore mainstream secondary schools effects of direct contact knowledge and school goal structure
topic Social sciences::General::Education
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/148748
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